CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — A Corpus Christi resident and president of a local labor union has been taken into federal custody for embezzlement.
According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, 41-year-old Robert Cirilo was arrested by the authorities, with the FBI and the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards having conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Foster and John Marck are prosecuting the case.
Cirilo, the president of the United Steelworkers Union Local 13-1647 in Corpus Christi, used a union debit card to make approximately 340 personal purchases and ATM cash withdrawals, all unauthorized.
According to the indictment that was returned on July 31, Cirilo took and spent $287,368.38 in total, with some of his purchases including H-E-B, Eddie's Bakery and Residence Inn.
Cirilo was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of embezzlement from a labor organization. If convicted, Cirilo faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine on each of the wire fraud counts, with an additional five years and up to a $10,000 fine upon conviction of embezzlement.
Cirilo is expected to appear in court on Aug. 6 at 9:45 a.m., the release states.
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