Former Cartersville Union Official Sentenced for Embezzlement

A Cartersville union official will spend eight months in federal prison for stealing more than $60,000 from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Ryan Forbes, 36, of Cartersville, who served as the secretary-treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 1129, in Cartersville, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Vining, Jr. to to eight months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $35,952.57.

Forbes was convicted of these charges on Aug. 28, upon his plea of guilty to embezzlement of funds from a labor organization.

According to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Forbes was the secretary-treasurer of Local 1129, from 2005 through 2010. He was issued a credit card that was to be used for authorized union purchases only. But he used it 285 times to make unauthorized purchases and withdrawals. In addition, Forbes spent money on personal items, including several computers, using Local 1129 funds. Forbes also wrote unauthorized salary checks to himself from Local 1129's bank account, using a forged signature, and he submitted false fuel and travel claims for reimbursement. Forbes’ theft totaled over $60,000.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.

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