DEVELOPING: Dougherty’s Home, IBEW 98 HQ Raided by FBI

John Dougherty’s home and union hall were apparently raided by the FBI this morning.

According to multiple on the ground reports, agents are going through both Dougherty’s South Philly home and the headquarters of IBEW 98.

KYW also captured photos of investigators leaving Philadelphia Councilman Bobby Henon’s office with boxes.

Dougherty is considered the most powerful labor leader in the city. Last year, his brother Kevin was elected to the State Supreme Court.

Last February, he was accused of punching a man in the face.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops…

UPDATE: Philly.com is reporting that the raid is part of a long-standing investigation of the misuse of funds.

“Sources said the investigation is a joint FBI/IRS probe into alleged misuse of union funds and has been under way for more than two years,” they write. “Anywhere from 10 to 15 locations are being searched, the sources said.”

UPDATE 2: KYW’s Kristen Johanson captured video of agents removing boxes from Dougherty’s home:

UPDATE 3: Kristen De Groot of the Associated Press reports that Dougherty’s union bar “Doc’s Union Pub” was also raided. Mark Dent and Anna Orso of BillyPenn noted that two years ago the National Review wrote about a possible “self-pay scheme” involving the bar.

UPDATE 4: Frank Keel, IBEW’s long-time spokesman who left last June, is apparently back with Dougherty.

UPDATE 5: Frank Keel has released a statement on behalf of Dougherty:

https://twitter.com/hollyotterbein/status/761654727209721856

UPDATE 6: Craig R. McCoy, Tricia L. Nadolny, Chris Brennan and Jeff Gammage of the Inquirer report that Dougherty’s sister house was also searched as was union President Brian Burrows.

UPDATE 7: Those same Inquirer reporters are now revealing that one source has implicated that the investigation concerns Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s campaign as well as the State Supreme Court campaign of Kevin Dougherty.

“Late Friday, a person familiar with the investigation said it focused on the union’s finances and its involvement in the political campaigns of Mayor Kenney and state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, who is Dougherty’s brother. Federal authorities are also scrutinizing Dougherty’s finances and taxes, the source said.”

61 Responses

  1. This guy looks like an old lady. How’s it OK for him to spend over $1M of the union’s money to get his brother on the Supreme Court?

  2. Hey Mary “I do nothing but stroke Tom on Facebook ” Isenhour. You gonna get off your couch and recommend the Boss gets engaged and show some leadership. REMOVE YOUR GOVERNORS APPOINTEE JOHNNY DOC from the PRPA and ask for his resignation at the Building Trades. HES A VIOLENT PREDATOR. While your at it tell Shapiro to return the 180k he took from local 98 and 600k McGinty took. MR INTEGRITY GIFTBAN. HYPOCRITES

  3. Quick, John…change your last name to Clinton and the FBI will give you a pass on All YOUR dishonest endeavors.

  4. I feel bad for the hard working union men and women who support there families. That’s who this is really going to hurt. It’s all over power and greed. The money is ridiculous and out of control donated to these political hacks. The Kenney, K-Doc, and both Boyle campaigns alone are criminal. Buying actors to man the polls, backing Martina White to hurt the ward leaders in the Northeast because they went against your candidate for Senate. You deserve what ever you get.

  5. Spambot, lets be honest with ourselves. You have a democrat US attorney locking up nothing but Democrats.

  6. I wonder if Jared Solomon is worried about that contribution from one of Johnny Doc’s PACS.

  7. @WhoHe my guess would be Rep Bill Keller. He gives Docs Union Pub 50k a year. He nearly escaped indictment 2 years ago when his staffer fell on the sword. Also Martina White since she’s so close to 98 and the Boyle mafia. Former Lieutenant Governor James Cawley also is very close to Johnny Doc. He made it possible for him to get employed by United Way where he makes 320k a year and funnels loads of funding to IBEW98 apprentice programs.

  8. Pretty sure the reason Democrats accuse Republicans of coordination with independent groups and without evidence is just so they can do it themselves All The Time.

  9. Anyone want to start a pool about who gets charged first in this investigation? We can add names as we go along.

  10. This is the reason I got out of helping my party. I seen this coming 10 years ago. He took over filling the pockets of political positions through out the Commonwealth to fight his battles. Look at the money trail. He destroyed South Philly and tried moving in on the Northeast with Bobby. Well my friend you got your butt handed to you up there. The Boyle Brothers, Martina White, DA’s Office,ward leaders, committee people, and etc who took your corrupt money for your political favors. Your threats on family members and your thug want to be attitude in our neighborhood. It’s nice to see our neighborhood might have a future with you behind bars. Thank god Bobby and his suck ass ward leaders didn’t ruin the Northeast. Doc and crew 2 pointers in prison:
    1. White bread, spam, and cheese toasted in the heaters go over well in there
    2. Don’t drop the soap

  11. For all you trolls out there that support the corporate owned garden gnome Toomey. Start getting used to it Katie McGinty on November will be a U.S. Senator. Hillary will beat Trump by double digits in Pennsylvania and Katie will beat Toomey. Deal with it.

  12. Real O – he can string together a sentence; but he used them to admit to journalist that he has problems paying his bills. He helped a jag-off lawyer become a Judge. And he gets “special” rent deals from his wealthy “friends.” His Office is in the middle of a mutiny. Corbett Republicans just dropped him …., ladies and gentleman …. Up next ….. R. Seth Williams !!

  13. Boyle Brothers are next. Follow the money trail. FOP McNesby will be next. Power hungry thieves

  14. Katie McGinty: I’m rich, inherited 5 mil. So don’t ask me for anymore contributions.

  15. Here is a better shot of the nice Sixers hat.
    http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/96099-fbi-searches-johnny-docs-home-henons-city-hall-office

    Kane’s motion was never likely to win pre-trial; that’s the kind of thing that gets appealed post-conviction. A waste of time, but it does say she has a big budget for defense counsel.

    Johnny says he doesn’t make “rookie mistakes” – so beating down that guy on video was a veteran move? Love these guys that think they are smart when they can’t string a coherent sentence together… Merlino yesterday, Doc today – who will fill the void?

  16. spambot – didn’t Zappala testify as an expert witness against AG Kane (the person who has the job he wants)?

    And didn’t John Dougherty turn around and try to help Zappala in SEPA??

    Cozy, huh?

  17. Ha3: supporting Sonny Corleone of the Zappala Crime Family brought his downfall. The mob knows that when the going gets tough, they get going…to find a fall guy who will keep them out of jail. Over and over, the Zappala and Porter gang have ratted people to the Feds and kept doing their dirty work. The two rats, Chuckie Porter Senior and Junior put half a dozen people away in order to spring mob capo Chuckie Senior. In cash for kids, the Zappala mob came out clean while godfather Steve senior’s best friend Conahan is doing 17 years. Dougherty will swing and Junior Zappala will be the expert witness who shows the grand jury how to tie the rope…so long as the Feds continue to give La Familia a good leaving alone.

  18. I remember when Kevin Dougherty was running for Supreme Court, DA Seth Williams recorded an ad for Dougherty.

    Kevin Dougherty was caught up in Porngate – but it didn’t come out until AFTER Kevin Dougherty got onto the Supreme Court.

    Seth refused to fire three “hateful” prosecutors also caught up in that same Porngate scandal. Hmmm

    The government’s witnesses against AG Kane – who uncovered the Porngate scandal – are Dougherty guys. Just a big coincidence?

  19. WILL SHADY KATIE RETURN IBEW DONATIONS UPWARD TO 600k?
    WILL GOVERNOR TOM WOLF ASK JOHNNY DOC TO RESIGN FROM DRPA AND PRPA!! HE APPOINTED THE CRIMINAL?!

  20. Not yet, Aaron.

    But Seth must be shitting bricks. He was kept away from all things DNCC related; reduced to showing up at parties and taking selfies.

    And now the Feds are moving against one of his allies – John Dougherty. Not only does this make him look like an idiot for demoting that Deputy that wanted Dougherty charged, but he now loses anothe source of $$$. And we know that broke-ass Seth cares only about money and Big Booty Latinas on Twitter.

    Is it true he hired yet another criminal defense attorney at the DA’s Office? Perhaps the one that kicked his ass up at Temple?

    Wonder why Seth Williams would want a bunch of criminal defense attorneys (Kathleen a Martin and the guy that kicked his ass) on staff at the DA’s Office and being paid by city taxpayers. Hmmmmmm.

    Seth is under criminal investigation. And we know he has no money to pay for lawyers himself. Maybe he is just having the taxpayers foot the bill? Like he did when those tires got slashed ….

  21. And now Kathleen Kane’s desperate plea to the Supreme Court gets denied! LOL! She literally has no defense. One more Democrat in prison.

  22. Real O – it’s the same pathetic troll stealing screen-names again. LOL.

    Totally agree re: Doc and Henon going down. I kinda like Kenney — but I fear he may be in too deep. His support for Zappala in AG race raised red-flags. And he may have sold his soul (to Johnny Doc) to become Mayor.

    If Seth Williams thought he was friendless yesterday, imagine how he feels right now. He is a spent round. Vegas odds has him going to prison before Monseignir Lynn!!

  23. Oh look!! The pathetic retard troll forgot what article he was on. The three comments directly below are all his … LOL … he is so OWNED.

    And bungy tells me he is still banging the troll’s wife … after the retard kid goes to bed.

  24. Mrs. McGinty is the worst voice us women could have. She takes money from crooks, a real woman is her own person not some purchased crooked politician.

  25. First, the Fake Observer below can go F Off – he is the one stealing my name and many others’.

    Second, KYW radio was all over this – they raided BOTH of Johhny Doc’s South Philly homes. Feds, treasury, State and local police detectives were at IBEW HQ.

    Councilman Henon is done. His office is sealed off as a crime scene. Certainly was bugged.

    Johhny Doc is going down – and Bobby Brady is sweating gallons. Did Rob McCord help? Will we soon have another vacancy on the Supreme Court? How long before Seth Williams does the perp walk? Will Johhny flip??

    Notice how they waited until AFTER the DNC… God, this is fun!

  26. Didn’t Seth Williams say that he had a “close professional relationship” with Doughrrty? Didn’t Williams refuse to prosecute a violent crime that Dougherty committed?

    Why does our D.A. have a close professional relationship with a known criminal? Isn’t it the definition of “corruption” to refuse to prosecute someone because they have you money?

    Why is it OK that Seth Williams prosecuted Black politicians that he has known his whole life – but then refuses to prosecute the White political operative Dougherty? The only difference is that Dougherty gave Williams money and the Black politicians did not.

    Oh – and why did Seth’s Chief of Staff hang up on a reporter who was asking questions about why Seth Williams refused to prosecute Dougherty?

  27. LOLing at the Trumpanzees revelling in a minor Dem issue, while Cheeto Fuhrer implodes on every… single… issue.
    Conservatism itself in flames. Trump immolation get himself and the party, Fox News in free fall after Ailes is eliminated. Senate going blue. SCOTUS going blue. President Hillary Clinton.
    Absolutely hilarious, and they deserve all of it and more. Next step, PA legislature.

  28. Back on topic here – Wonder who Johnny Doc will take down with him? Will he be a good boy and take his 10 years like a man? Or will he squeal on his pals? Can’t wait to find out. Seth Williams (Phila DA who let Doc walk b/c of $$$) and Kevin Dougherty (John’s brother on Supreme Crt) must be shitting themselves right now.

  29. Uh oh …. It’s really bad this time!!! With Trum and Toomey about to get crushed by female Democrats, someone better put him on suicide watch!!!

  30. Shady Katie McGinty took this criminals money. Then as Wolfs chief of staff appointed him to the DRPA AND PRPA!!
    Seth Williams did everyone a favor by not charging this animal he forced the Feds to take it. Thanks Seth.
    He didn’t allegedly hit anyone HE SMASHED A GUYS FACE WITH 3 union goons and its on tape!!!

  31. When does the probe extend to the PA Supreme Court? That seems inevitable based on the last 20 years of this horrible court.

  32. I didn’t think much of Dougherty til I saw him in that sweet 76ers hat. LOL.

    Can’t wait to see what he wears for the perp walk. Maybe he can borrow his buddy’s – Seth Williams’ – colorful argyle socks. But Seth might need those for his own perp walk.

    This is great.

Email:
  • Will tonight's U.S. Senate debate affect your decision?


    • No. I've already decided on how to cast my vote. (81%)
    • Yes. Anxious to hear from both candidates (19%)

    Total Voters: 27

    Loading ... Loading ...
Continue to Browser

PoliticsPA

To install tap and choose
Add to Home Screen