Frederick Devine
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Frederick "Fred" Devine was President of the New York City District Council of Carpenters from 1991 to 1996, but was also an associate of the Colombo crime family in the crew of captain Thomas Petrizzo, and operated in close conjunction with soldier Frank Melia, who was involved in the Queens Carpenters Local 45. Devine replaced Genovese crime family associate Paschal McGuiness in 1991 after federal and state government pressure and numerous indictments resulted in McGuiness retiring.
Devine also had dealings with Genovese crime family powers Liborio Bellomo and his captain Ralph Copolla, who oversaw the Jacob Javits Center for the Genovese family. Devine agreed to appoint Bellomo's brother-in-law Anthony Fiorino, a Local 257 shop steward, to represent the District Council's interests in the Center. However, as revealed by informants and trials, Fiorino represented the interests of Bellomo and Genovese boss Vincent Gigante.
In September 1994, Kenneth Conboy, a former federal judge who was overseeing an investigation into the rampant corruption and organized crime in the Carpenters Union, attempted to implement a non-discriminatory job referral system that would fairly assign Javits Center jobs. Anthony Fiorino, with Devine’s support, opposed Conboy’s plan. Fiorino proposed instead that the collective bargaining agreement be amended to insulate the pool list from the job referral rules. Devine refused Conboy’s demand to replace Fiorino. After some fruitless efforts at dispute settlement, Devine wrote a letter to Conboy cutting off negotiations.
In 1995, hearings were held in which officials found that among other things: Devine and the other officers mismanaged the District Council’s cash reserve so that its net worth dropped from $6.45 million in 1991 to $224,060 in 1996; Devine spent $389,000 on private jets in a period of 30 months; Devine supplied the staff with luxury cars and paid twice what legitimate automobile dealers would charge; Devine’s $25,000 car allowance did not include gas, oil, maintenance or insurance; the union paid Devine’s girlfriend $60,000 as a “consultant;” Devine’s chauffeur was paid $60,000 a year out of trust fund money; and Devine used trust fund money to employ Genovese Family associates. The hearing committee concluded that the trusteeship had been properly imposed and extended its duration.
In 1996, National Carpenter officials raided the Council's offices dismissing Devine and three of his Vice-Presidents for their ties to organized crime. In 1998, Devine was convicted of stealing union funds and shaking down contractors.
[edit] Further reading
- Butler, Gregory A. Disunited Brotherhoods: Race, Racketeering And the Fall of the New York Construction Unions. Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2006. ISBN 0-595-39143-5
- Jacobs, James B., Coleen Friel and Robert Radick. Gotham Unbound: How New York City Was Liberated from the Grip of Organized Crime. New York: NYU Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8147-4247-5
[edit] External links
Report on La Cosa Nostra Presence in the NYC Construction Industry (with special focus on the NYC District Council of Carpenters, IBT Locals 282, 807 & 813) - http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2007/05/86183.shtml
