John Dougherty to be sentenced today in federal bribery, embezzlement cases

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- John Dougherty , a once-powerful union boss in Philadelphia's IBEW Local 98, will be sentenced Thursday on federal bribery and embezzlement convictions handed down over the last three years.

Dougherty's sentencing hearing began in Reading, Pennsylvania at 10:30 a.m. According to CBS News Philadelphia reporter Joe Holden, who's inside the courthouse, the courtroom was packed  with Dougherty's supporters and people wearing union shirts.

Former Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and Dougherty's brother, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, were there as well, according to Holden.

During the hearing, Holden said Dougherty's daughter Erin made an emotional plea to the judge to sentence her father to home confinement instead of prison.

According to Holden, Erin Dougherty was just one of a number of witnesses who attended Thursday's hearing to speak on Dougherty's behalf. He said the courtroom took a brief break at 11:45 a.m., but still had a number of people to hear from by 12:15 p.m.

Dougherty's most recent conviction came in December 2023 when a jury found him guilty of guilty of conspiracy and embezzlement .

At that trial, where jurors took three days to return a verdict on dozens of counts, Dougherty was accused of using more than $600,000 in funds from the electrician's union for personal purchases. Prosecutors also said Dougherty, who served as Local 98's business manager, used union money to pay contractors for work done at homes and businesses owned by himself, as well as friends and family.

Dougherty maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Dougherty's codefendant, ex-union president Brian Burrows, was also found guilty in December. Burrows was accused of hiring a contractor, called during trial as the government's key witness, to do tens of thousands of dollars worth of renovations in his home. Evidence showed Burrows directed the contractor to submit the work bill directly to Local 98.

Last month, Burrows was sentenced to four years in prison . The 64-year-old will have three years of supervised release and need to pay over $100,000 for forfeiture, over $1,000 for special assessment and restitution for embezzlement crimes, including taking funds belonging to Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Dougherty charged in three federal cases

Thursday's sentencing involves two of three federal cases brought down against Dougherty in recent years.

In addition to being sentenced on the embezzlement charges, Dougherty's sentencing will be sentenced on a 2021 case where the former labor leader was convicted on bribery counts . In that case, a jury concluded Dougherty was able to exert pressure and influence over city officials and business leaders to secure work for Local 98.

Former Philadelphia councilmember Bobby Henon was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in that case.

In April 2024, a judge declared a mistrial in an extortion case involving Dougherty and his nephew Greg Fiocca. Prosecutors alleged Fiocca assaulted a contractor in August 2020. The jury told a Berks County judge it was deadlocked after a day of deliberations.