JANUARY 9, 2016 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016, 1:21 AM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
With his conviction for conspiracy and embezzlement reinstated by an appeals court, a former North Jersey labor leader is facing a possible prison term when he is sentenced later this month for plotting to siphon funds from an electricians union in a scheme to pad the salary of his future wife.
Following a trial in federal court in Newark, a jury in November 2013 found Richard “Buzzy” Dressel guilty on two of eight counts: conspiracy to embezzle union funds and embezzlement from Local 164 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Paramus.
Five months later, U.S. District Judge William J. Martini granted a defense motion for acquittal, ruling the government had not presented sufficient evidence for conviction.
The office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman challenged the judge’s decision, and a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed Martini and reinstated the conviction in August.
As a result, Dressel, 66, of Montvale, who as business manager held the local’s top position for 14 years, is facing up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the two counts when he is sentenced by Martini on Jan. 21.
Before his indictment in 2012, Dressel had served on the boards of the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation, Bergen Community College and the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. He had been a member of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and he was a major force in Democratic Party politics, raising funds and using the rank and file to get out the vote.
Dressel has steadfastly maintained he committed no crime.
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