The former president of the Washington Teachers Union pleaded guilty last week to leading an embezzlement scam in which she helped steal more than $2.5 million from educators during her six years in office.
Barbara A. Bullock, 65, could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $500,000 on charges of conspiracy and mail fraud. The punishment could be reduced, however, if she helps the government pursue her alleged co- conspirators.
Under the plea agreement, she is also protected from further criminal prosecution. Ms. Bullock, who resigned from her position with the District of Columbia union last fall, was the ringleader in an elaborate scheme spanning from January 1995 through September 2002, said U.S. Attorney Roscoe C. Howard.
She and her colleagues set up a fake company to launder union money, used union credit cards to pay for personal expenses, overcharged members to enrich themselves, and lied about expenses on official union documents, according to the federal prosecutor.
Among Ms. Bullock鈥檚 purchases with stolen money: $500,000 for custom-made clothing, $50,000 on fur coats, $100,000 for season tickets to the Washington Redskins football games and Washington Wizards basketball games, and $4,690 in limousine rides.
Her conduct 鈥渨as nothing short of brazen greed, which amounted to the fleecing of the Washington Teachers鈥� Union,鈥� Mr. Howard said.
To date, two others have pleaded guilty: Ms. Bullock鈥檚 former chauffeur, Leroy Holmes, and stylist Michael Martin. A third business partner in the fictitious company, Errol Alderman, has been charged. Ms. Bullock鈥檚 former assistant, Gwendolyn M. Hemphill, and the union鈥檚 former treasurer, James O. Baxter II, are being investigated.
Ms. Bullock鈥檚 lawyer, Stephen R. Spivack, asked U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon to consider scheduling the sentencing after the Christmas holidays, as 鈥渢his may be the last holiday season she gets to be with her family.鈥�
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao used a press conference following the arraignment as a platform to draw attention to new federal accountability guidelines for unions, which would apply to the 5,000- member WTU.
鈥業nformation Stopped Flowing鈥�
Meanwhile, some teachers wondered whether the proposed maximum sentence was harsh enough. 鈥淚 am very outraged,鈥� said Booker Brooks, a retired teacher, who ran for the WTU presidency in the late 1960s. 鈥淚鈥檇 have given her 19 years.鈥�
Ms. Bullock鈥檚 scheme was the second unearthed by authorities in the past year involving an American Federation of Teachers affiliate. Pat L. Tornillo, the former head of the United Teachers of Dade in Miami-Dade County, pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to embezzle $650,000 from the 14,500-member union. He may receive up to five years in prison, though prosecutors recommended that he be sentenced to only 24 months. (鈥淢iami Union Leader Pleads Guilty to Fraud,鈥� Sept. 3, 2003.)
UTD is also affiliated with the National Education Association.
Teachers in the nation鈥檚 capital say Ms. Bullock鈥檚 scheme went unnoticed for years because the union leader discouraged participation in union life. They paint a portrait of a president who purposely quelled communication and disliked questions, actions which so frustrated members that many eventually quit seeking involvement.
鈥淭he information stopped flowing to teachers,鈥� said Elizabeth A. Davis, who teaches technology education at John Philip Sousa Middle School. 鈥淭his disengaged members.鈥�
For example, Ms. Bullock replaced the union鈥檚 in-house newspaper with a newsletter from her office over members鈥� protests, Ms. Davis said. She also routinely had her staff unplug members鈥� microphones at union meetings in order to curtail their statements, the teacher said.
鈥淚f teachers had questions and concerns about things, she didn鈥檛 want to deal with them,鈥� added Laureen Smith-Butler, a reading and language arts teacher at Dunbar High School.
Ms. Bullock further confounded discussion by changing meeting sites and scheduling them at 4:30 p.m.鈥攖oo early for many members to leave work, Ms. Smith-Butler said. It was not unusual to fail to gain the required quorum of 100 members, she said.
The disgraced union president, according to Ms. Smith-Butler, 鈥渨ould look around at 4:45 p.m., and say, 鈥楾here is no quorum,鈥� and a number of times, we鈥檇 ask if we could wait longer, and she said, 鈥楴o.鈥� 鈥�
Ms. Bullock could not be reached for comment last week.
