Granite City union official indicted on mail fraud, forfeiture charges

Union official Don Padgett, 39, of Granite City has been indicted by a federal grand jury in East St. Louis on charges of mail fraud and criminal forfeiture.

The indictment released Tuesday charges Padgett, secretary/treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1304, with issuing unauthorized checks to himself. He also is charged with making unauthorized purchases on the union's credit card, falsifying information in the union's financial reports and falsifying reports filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.

The violations are alleged to have taken place between Nov. 20, 2001 and May 23, 2008 in Bond County, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.

The charges carry a maximum statutory penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, three years supervised release and mandatory restitution.

AFGE Local 1304's members consist of correctional officers at the Federal Correctional Institution in Greenville.

The investigation of the case was handled by the Department of Labor, Office of Labor Management Standards. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.