The former president of International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) was sentenced Tuesday to 22 months in prison for conspiring to extort ILA Local 1235 longshoremen on the New Jersey piers for Christmastime tribute payments, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch announced. Thomas Leonardis, 57, of Glen Gardner, the president of the union from 2008 through 2011, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to Count Three of a second superseding indictment charging him with conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence yesterday in Newark federal court. In addition to the prison term Judge Cecchi sentenced Leonardis to serve three years of supervised release. Aulisi and Ruiz previously pleaded guilty before Judge Cecchi to conspiring to extort Christmastime tributes from ILA Local 1235 members. In October 2014, Aulisi and Ruiz were sentenced to 18 months and 20 months in prison, respectively.
Former Union President Gets 22 Months for Extorting Longshoremen Christmastime Tributes
Watchung