Home Cleveland Press Releases 2011 Former Plumbers Local 55 Business Manager Sentenced for Embezzlement
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Former Plumbers Local 55 Business Manager Sentenced for Embezzlement

U.S. Attorney’s Office January 20, 2011
  • Northern District of Ohio (216) 622-3600

Former Plumbers Local 55 Business Manager Robert Rybak was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay $11,158 in restitution, Bernard K. Smith, Appellate Chief, Criminal Division in the Northern District of Ohio; Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Jose A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, announced today.

Rybak, 53, of Independence, Ohio, pleaded guilty in October 2010 to several crimes, including Hobbs Act Conspiracy, embezzlement or theft from labor union, embezzlement or theft from employee benefits funds, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tampering with a witness.

Rybak admitted to participating in a bribery scheme in which he provided free and reduced home improvements to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, as well as meals, entertainment, and political donations, in return for county personnel moves that were favorable to Rybak, according to court documents.

He also pleaded guilty to improperly using union property to perform work on the homes of Rybak’s friends, and instructing others to mislead investigators after the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation became public.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Antoinette T. Bacon and Robert J. Patton. The investigation was conducted by the Cleveland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

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