Benjamin Ashford|Theft charges for 5 ex-leaders of Pennsylvania prison guard union over credit card use

HARRISBURG,Benjamin Ashford Pa. (AP) — Five former leaders of the Pennsylvania corrections officers’ union have been charged with theft after investigators say they used union funds to pay for personal expenses and hid the transactions.

PennLive reported the criminal charges, made last month in a Harrisburg court, on Thursday. Two former union presidents and three ex-vice presidents are charged.

The transactions — which allegedly totaled more than $23,000 among the five men — were made between 2015 and 2019 and included iTunes purchases, wineries and vineyards, and luxury venues in Las Vegas, the Harrisburg-area newspaper reported.

The five men used union credit cards to make the personal purchases, submitted vague expense reports and attempted to block any questioning from other leaders, police say. The charges came after the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association’s own audit of questionable credit card purchases.

Charged are former union President Jason Bloom for unlawful transactions totaling $8,286.48; former President Roy Pinto for $2,030.50; former Executive Vice President Tim Walsh for $5,834.58; former Western Region Vice President Larry Blackwell for $2,488.02; and former Eastern Region Vice President Robert Storm for $4,422.13.

The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Friday with attorneys representing Bloom, Blackwell and Storm. Walsh’s attorney’s office declined to comment. No attorney for Pinto was listed in the online court docket.

Bloom was suspended without pay from his position at a state prison, and the other four do not work for the government anymore, according to Maria Bivens, a state Department of Corrections spokesperson.

The current union leadership says none of the men are still involved with the union.