HARRISBURG - A Mount Carmel man has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $7,000 from a local chapter of the United Steelworkers union.
According to court documents dated Tuesday from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, Bernard C. Nolter Jr. signed a plea agreement Aug. 4 in which he admitted to embezzling $7,047.23 from AFL-CIO Local 635 by making a false entry in the financial records to the Secretary of Labor during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2010, through Dec. 31, 2011.
A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled, but the maximum penalty for false entry or willful concealment of books and records is imprisonment for a period of one year, a fine of $100,000, a supervised release of up to one year after imprisonment, costs of prosecution and denial of certain federal benefits.
If probation or a term of supervised release is ordered, Nolter could be prohibited from possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon, made to pay restitution in accordance with a schedule determined by the court, prohibited from incurring new credit charges or opening a new line of credit and restricted from certain areas of occupation.
In exchange, the district court will not bring any other criminal charges against Nolter that directly arise out of his involvement with the offenses, but Nolter agreed to not object to the transferring of evidence and information to other state and federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, law enforcement agencies and licensing and regulatory agencies.
As part of the agreement, Nolter agreed to fully disclose all his assets, including those held by a spouse or other third party.
He cannot withdraw the plea if not satisfied with the sentencing, nor can he pursue any civil claims against the United States in regards to the investigation.
The agreement was signed by Nolter's public defender, Melinda C. Ghilardi, Aug. 12 and prosecuting assisting U.S. attorney Lorna N. Graham Monday.