Politico NJ
By Matt Friedman
A top official of the powerful Carpenters union is no longer with the organization as it struggles with the corona virus and a federal investigation.
The online bio of Michael Capelli, the general secretary-treasurer of the the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, was removed from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ website late last week.
Reached by phone, Capelli said he retired, but declined to elaborate.
“It’s long-planned,” he said. “I’m going to go. I’m not going to talk about it. It’s nobody’s business but mine.”
There was no announcement on the Carpenters website about Capelli’s retirement.
The union recently laid off about 50 officials across seven states, spokesperson Frank Mahoney said.
“We’ve lost a lot of work hours for our members recently, and because of that and this unprecedented time, we’ve had to council-wide,” he said.
The union, whose political fund has put millions of dollars into New Jersey elections, has been buffeted by scandal over the last several years. In 2016, George R. Laufenberg was fired as administrator of the Northeast Carpenters Funds for “potential violations.” In September 2019, Laufenberg was indicted for allegedly embezzling $1.5 million from the union.
In 2018, the union dissolved the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, terminating John Ballantyne, an ally of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, as its leader. At the time, the firing was seen as a proxy war between allies of Murphy and South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross. The Carpenters have been one of the biggest backers of General Majority, a super PAC that has been funded through loans and donations of Norcross and his allies.
In a 2018 lawsuit, Ballantyne and two subordinates alleged they were fired for uncovering malfeasance that had the blessing of the union’s top leaders. The lawsuit alleged wrongdoing by Capelli, then the Eastern District vice president, and Frank Spencer, then the second general vice president of the union and now its general vice president.
Ballantyne and the union quietly settled the lawsuit a month after he filed it. But by 2019, a federal grand jury was empaneled in Newark to investigate the union. Last November, Douglas McCarron, the Carpenters general president, acknowledged in a memo to union leadership that the union and several groups tied to it had received a series of subpoenas.
Mahoney, the union spokesperson, said Capelli’s retirement has nothing to do with investigation. Rather, he said, it was so Capelli could “spend more time for family.”
HEY MIKEY "CHEAP SUITS" CAPELLI. DOES THIS MEAN YOUR WIFE,DAUGHTER AND ALL THE REST OF THE CAPELLI FAMILY MEMBERS SUCKING OFF THE UBC TIT WILL BE RETIRING AS WELL???
I MEAN .HOW WILL YOU BE RETIRING TO "SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY" IF THEY ARE STILL AT THE UBC .WONT THEY BE WORKING AND NOT AVAILABLE.MAYBE YOU DID NOT THINK THAT ONE THROUGH
HMMMMMM....
there it is more time with the family get it in before your ass is in jail scunbag you lie and your caught bye bye loser greed is all over our leadership all must go
ReplyDeleteHey you loner commie!! Of course the Capelli’s will be able to spend more time together as a family because they are all working from home just like the rest of our Council employees!!! And no there is no other reason Mike retired so suddenly without telling anyone and no we’re not pissed at all because he’s not a cooperating witness!! Forget I said that!!! Because no leader of the UBC committed any crimes that he or anyone else could be a witness too!!! We’re just being prosecuted by loner commies who don’t want to see us live the life we’re entitled to live!! Should we live like hermits on behalf of the members we work so hard for??? Arent we entitled to good wine and thick steaks or rare sushi from Japan, every once in while or 3 times week??? Shouldn’t we stay in nice hotels of at least 4 stars or more?? Guess what loner commies/members we do what the fuck we want to do when we want to do it!! From the office of the General President....... now shut up and get ready for work I want my dues money!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's what they all say, I'm retiring to spend more time with my family, bullshit. Frank is next to fall And will piss all over McCarron. Long time coming Doug, I can hear you now Doug this is all bullshit it's bullshit. Prison is where you belong Doug it should have happened in a long time ago!
ReplyDeleteso the only union in united states to layoff staff in the first week of state shutdown is it precautions for the corona virus or is this the out they were looking for SPROLES BANKRUPTED THE COUNCIL AND NOW IS LOOKING TO COVER HIS ASS WE ALREADY KNOW YOU TANKED US WELL BEFORE CORONA HIT YOU MIGHT FOOL YOUR BLIND FOLLOWERS BUT ANY SIMPLE INVESTAGATION INTO THE COUNCIL FUNDS WILL SHO W THE TRUTH
ReplyDeleteBankrupting a Council is no easy task.
DeleteI wonder.
Since we have had the same APPOINTED delegates that are bought of with lobster a fruit cup and a round of golf...
I wonder if the deliberate removal of the memberships oversight had anything to do with it.
Bottom line.
We were merged.
We were lied to.
We were misled.
We were kept in the dark.
We continue to be lied to by omission.
Our meetings are stacked when need be so that we cant make changes.
Involvement is down.
Mandatory participation is about to be neutered.
Our funds are hidden.
The lm docs arent current.
I could go on. You know the story.
Its not just sproules.
Its carsello, mcguinness
And morrow, campbell, every rep. Every teacher.
Every person that benefitted from this is telling you " its all good"
It isnt. We know it isnt.
If you were honest from day 1 at the ryan meeting you would have had a better chance.
You werent.
Now we are taking you down.
SPROLES /BANKRUPT COUNCIL/ FIRED
ReplyDeleteRisk versus reward. Dougy pay attention. What has billy SPROLES brought to this council. Bankruptcy. FBI. Investagations. Nlrb. Invrstagations Olms investagations. Resigned investagations Extortion. Arrogance A 380000. Dollar salary. For working from home. You have three secreatarys and none of them ever know where you are. Best freinds with corrupt. Cappeli You hang out with him he taught you evrtything. You know. How much longer can Doug let this facade go on. Your troubles are only beginning my freind As soon as someone checks into your pusspoor handling of the virus Our funds. All of the investagations. It should be over. And god I hope you come to my job you porky little man.
ReplyDeleteIt is our business.
ReplyDeleteAll those years cappeli was " elected" and shammed his way up the ladder. His knees are beat.
You stole funds. You misappropriated money that wasnt yours.
You blacklisted members, youve hurt families, you are a thief.
So yeah.
Our council was treated like a fire sale.
An ATM.
We need to really look at the pension schedule for these reps.
12k 14k a month. Realllly?
Because you sat in an appointed position ....and that wasnt enough.. You stilllll stole from us.
Its time to burn this current ubc to the ground. Force the rats to run.
Re organize on the founding premise with obvious adjustment for the times. Principles and committments do not change.
So yes. It is our business.
If you did what we know you did. You need to go to jail.
No pleas. No mercy.
Give up your info and suffer the consequences.
Im so fucking sick of these assholes.
Easy.peasy. SPROLES /bankrupted council /. Fired Doug do you need to learn how to handle this. Or is SPROLES working with his best buddy cappeli ?????? Maybe while billy is not at work he is giving info to cappeli. What a book deal this could be the destruction of the once strong carpenters union by the New Jersey leadership. Just think of this New Jersey. You get. Spencer. Sprolles. Cappeli. Christy. Young. Robinson. Garboski. Garganio. Singleton What a list of failed leaders. Need we say more Doug.
ReplyDeleteI guess when you lie, cheat, steal, coerce, intimidate, blacklist, engage in nepotism, redirect funds,and just be a scumbag in general..... I guess yeah... It was planned long ago.
ReplyDeleteHeres the deal.
We know you were directed by spencer and mccarron.
Actually allll decisions with monies " stolen" from mergers can ONLY be directed by the Gen Pres. He changed the constitution to that verbiage. We " voted" on it. ( you all know im kidding. We dont vote)
But mikey did other things.
McCarron directed everything.
Flynn was a lobbyist for 5 to 6 yrs in dc
Doug is desperate and calling on alllll favors.
Mikey. If you think norcross is gonna bail you out you are more stupid than i thought.
You shouldnt have screwed with ballantyne and let laufenburg take his lumps for stealing and in principle doing the SAME THING mccarron is doing.
Me personally... I hope you open your 1st retirement check and suffer massive stroke.
Not enough to kill you. Just enough for you to sit in a chair drooling your days away.
And we are friends!!!
Scumbag.
Mike Capelli is a rat. We all know he would be the first one to start squealing. He’s not used to the gangster life like Spencer and McCarran have been dealing with. If I were you Mike I would start telling everything I know and get a good deal for yourself so you don’t go to jail. But then again the rest of yourCrooked friends were only rat you out in the end. Good luck to all three of you guys hope to see use all behind Barz soon.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mike this last poster is your friend!!!!
ReplyDeleteTommy to protect your self in your new role your going to have to clean house so you can prove to law enforcement that you are committed to complying with the law, etc. Bag Sproule’s and the rest of the Capelli garbage like the NYC stiffs that he brought in to Philly after they were forced out of NYC be the IG’s office and the Review Officer, then review all the dues check offs and assessments; none of them are being made with the proper authorisation.
ReplyDeleteIf you take the same approach that Spencer and Capelli took you’ll be signing a Plea Agreement too, that is if your lucky.....Now if your already guilty of the same crimes than steel everything you can while you can....
why would of SPROLES get overlooked for that position. Probably because he’s getting fired. Lol
ReplyDeleteNot at all.
DeleteSproules doesnt have the political clout flynn does.
Flynn was a DC lobbyist for 5 years for the UBC.
McCarron needs to surround himself with political clout. Hes in trouble.
Sproules? He only has Donald Norcrosses used condom hanging from his ass.
Which one would you hire?
I wouldn't hire sproles to build a swing set he sucks ass
ReplyDeleteSorry Sandy Malone, Michael Capelli stole a lot of your thunder
ReplyDeletebilly sprolle have you always been a scumbag as long as it could benfit you you would much rather run around in all your union parafanila shirt hats gloves beltbuckles etc rather then prove yourself and compete against the rank and file and from the men who have worked with you would never make it in this business if you didn't have the union supporting you as a steward organizer or funniest of all an est what a joke you should be arrested for trying to impersonate a union carpenter
ReplyDeleteHe is impersonating not only a carpenter ( which he wasnt... Hackmundoo) but propped up and impersonating an. Est.
DeleteThink about this. This is directly to Sproules and Hand.
Seee. 99% of the shit storm us loner commies have unleashed on you was .... Because you do not know how to show respect to members... Do not know how to talk with members... Especially shitbag Sproules.
You brought this ALLLL on yourselves.
Dang is the whole capelli family corrupt
ReplyDelete