Contact: Ian Scott-Anderman Cell: (505) 314-4849 Email: IanScottAndermanIAM@outlook.com April 19, 2021 Albuquerque, NM – In the wake of the growing corruption scandal involving Dora Cervantes, the General Secretary-Treasurer (GST) of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), GST challenger Ian Scott-Anderman called for her immediate resignation or removal by the IAM Executive Council. “The union’s financial records which I was permitted to review show that the IAM’s current General Secretary-Treasurer has charged tens of thousands of dues dollars in bogus travel expenses to attend imaginary meetings that never took place,” said Scott-Anderman. “In my opinion Dora Cervantes has been falsifying her expense reports for years. She regularly reported fictional meetings in her hometown of Houston so she could charge her personal travel there to the members of the Machinists Union. Her work assignment is in Upper Marlboro, MD, and union members paid for her to move there from Houston years ago.” Some examples, for which complete documentation is available at https://www.ian4iamgst.com/press-release.html are:
The travel expense scandal was exposed after GST candidate Ian Scott-Anderman requested the IAM provide copies of the GST’s weekly expense reports. While far from complete, the expense reports the IAM provided showed airfare and other expenses were reimbursed for travel to meetings that did not occur. Records provided so far show IAM members have paid for GST Cervantes to spend at least 144 days in Houston on personal business she charged to the union. All the documents were provided by the IAM itself because, at face value, the reports look legitimate. Only someone who is familiar with Houston union meeting schedules would be able to easily spot the fraud. The suspicions were confirmed through reviewing Local Lodge union records and personal interviews with people the GST was supposedly meeting with. “More than 86 other weekly expense reports are being withheld by the IAM, and one must only conclude that the fraud documented in those reports are more obvious,” said Scott-Anderman. More detailed information and expense documents detailing the misuse of union dues for personal travel is available HERE. As I see it these falsified expense reports are only a portion of the fraud involving Dora Cervantes,” said Scott-Anderman“IAM officials have confirmed the Department of Labor has already initiated a criminal investigation into the theft of dues from IAM Local Lodge 2198 in Houston.’In 2018 GST Dora Cervantes covered up the theft of more than $100,000 from her own Local Lodge,” said Ian Scott-Anderman. “Cervantes refused to audit the records of Local Lodge 2198 in Houston, Texas after misappropriation of funds became known, and opposed other IAM officials who called for an investigation. Her sister was president of Local Lodge 2198 at the time and was involved with the theft.” It has also been uncovered that Dora Cervantes has not reported any personal use of her IAM-provided lease vehicle for years. The commute from her home to her office every day, along with any purpose except for legitimate union business is, per IRS regulations, personal mileage and is considered a taxable benefit. “This example of fraud is not even in dispute,” said Scott-Anderman, “as since the request for documents was made GST Cervantes has already paid the IAM back more than $6,000. Innocent people do not write reimbursement checks, guilty people do.” “Dora Cervantes has demonstrated that she cannot be entrusted with our union’s finances and should resign immediately to save the union from further embarrassment,” continued Scott-Anderman. “When you add GST Cervantes’ previous coverup of her sister’s involvement in the theft of more than $100,000, it is obvious that a full-scale Department of Labor investigation is needed into the systemic corruption taking place in the office of the IAM General Secretary-Treasurer and the continued efforts by some of her colleagues to hide the truth. I am confident that the Department of Labor will investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the corruption, but for the benefit of IAM members, Dora Cervantes and anyone complicit in her fraud should resign or be removed from office immediately. IAM members deserve, and the law requires, Executive Council members who safeguard the membership and our finances, not each other.” Ian Scott-Anderman is currently the Secretary-Treasurer of IAM District Lodge 142, which represents over 24,000 IAM members at American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, CommutAir and others. She is a candidate for IAM General Secretary-Treasurer in an election that will take place at IAM Local Lodges throughout the United States and Canada on April 24, 2021. More information about Ian Scott-Anderman and her campaign can be found at ian4iamgst.com. ###
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