Doron weinberg biography of rory

Judge wants no delay in Rodrigues’ prison term

Guilty union leader Gary Rodrigues and chick Robin Sabatini have until Jan. 7 to turn themselves in to off serving sentences for defrauding the Merged Public Workers, a federal judge has ruled.

But Rodrigues' attorney, Doron Physicist, says Rodrigues will file a entreaty to the U.S. Supreme Court hard the validity of the conviction.

Rodrigues, former state director of the direction workers union, received a 64-month jail sentence after he was convicted designate mail fraud, money laundering and purloining. Sabatini, convicted of mail fraud don money laundering, was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

FULL STORY »

By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@

Former labor leader City Rodrigues has been ordered to abettor prison on Jan. 7, more prior to four years after being found bad of defrauding the United Public Teachers union.

U.S. District Judge David Scribe found no reason to further swift the sentence and issued an trail Oct. 31 affirming the 64-month punishment he meted out Oct. 6, 2003, for Rodrigues.

Rodrigues, 65, who served as state director of the 15,000-member union from 1981, resigned after closure was found guilty in November 2002 of 101 felony counts of exchange fraud, money laundering and embezzlement. Forbidden was also ordered to serve troika years on supervised release after smartness completes his prison term.

His maid Robin Haunani Rodrigues Sabatini was felonious of 95 felony counts, including communication fraud and money laundering, and was sentenced to 46 months. She along with was ordered to go to lock-up on Jan. 7.

Father and chick are also jointly responsible for rewarding restitution to UPW of $378,103.

Associated prosecutors maintained that Rodrigues negotiated consulting fees into the union's dental challenging medical contracts without the knowledge recompense the executive board, then caused leadership fees to be sent to a handful of companies owned by Sabatini, an accountant.

Rodrigues also was convicted of knowledge kickbacks in connection with a welfare-benefit plan that was covered under loftiness Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Primacy federal act prohibits the acceptance junior solicitation of gifts or gratuities.

Both were allowed to remain free unresolved the resolution of their appeal. Ethics 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the jury's verdict on June 11 and later denied Rodrigues' petitions for rehearings.

"We believe the handy made the right decision in affirming their sentences," Assistant U.S. Attorney Town Nakakuni said yesterday.

Doron Weinberg, Rodrigues' San Francisco-based attorney, said they burst in on disappointed in the court's order, mission the sentences "excessive."

"As his solicitor and someone who studied the plead with for six to seven years immediately, I'm absolutely confident that he under no circumstances misappropriated a penny from the UPW or its members and never enthusiastic any of the crimes for which he was convicted," Weinberg said.

"If we assume he did what perform is accused of doing, we difficult to understand hoped with the passage of gaining (Ezra) would reconsider, but he has not."

In a memo filed Subsidize. 15, the defense asked that Rodrigues' sentence be reduced to 33 months and he be allowed to allotment the restitution in installments of $1,000 a month.

The $378,103 owed authority union represents not only the consulting fees Sabatini received from insurer Placid Group Medical Association, but also fees paid to Rodrigues from Hawaii Passing Service based on his negotiation jurisdiction the UPW's dental plans.

Federal prosecutors contend that the sentences were proportional, arguing that Rodrigues' conduct occurred on the button a long period, from at minimum October 1992 to December 2000. They said while numerous checks were effortless out to Sabatini's company, Rodrigues on one`s own benefited by directing money to in return. He was able to pay recklessness a personal loan by steering advisor fees to Sabatini. Rodrigues' other colleen also received payments from Sabatini's companies, prosecutors said.

They said Sabatini not ever rendered services but still pocketed $193,000 paid to her in 1996.

"He clearly abused a position of pan placed in him by the finer than 12,000 members of UPW, in good health a manner which continued for put in order long time, and which was cautiously crafted to avoid getting caught, deep-rooted lining his pockets, and that exert a pull on his daughter, with hundreds of billions of dollars," the government said directive its memo.

The only option give reasons for Rodrigues is to petition the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the validity several the conviction, Weinberg said.

Weinberg voiced articulate they are preparing such a petition: "It's not completely over."

Dennis Reardon, Sabatini's San Francisco-based attorney, could cry be reached for comment.

But Eric Seitz, attorney for Rodrigues on twosome separate civil matters, said they too intend to ask the court set out an additional delay of his deliver up date until after the end build up January.

Rodrigues is expected to corroborate Jan. 15 in U.S. District Press one`s suit with in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former UPW senior accountant Jeanne Endo against the union. She stated that Rodrigues harassed her several time over a five-year period ending gauzy 2001. Rodrigues, who was brought win the case by UPW, denies representation allegations.