The former president of a New York Carpenters Union has been sentenced to 60 months behind bars for his role in a scheme that allowed new members to join the Union in exchange for cash bribes.

Salvatore Tagliaferro was the former president of the Local 926 chapter of the Carpenters Union. Authorities explain that during the winter of 2017, Tagliaferro concocted a plan with his co-conspirator, John DeFalco, to take bribes from prospective members. At the time, DeFalco was the vice president of another chapter, Local 157.

The pair hatched the plan in which they would offer prospective members new union membership cards in exchange for cash payments. The payments ranged anywhere from $600 to $2,000. Between 2017 and 2019, the pair took bribes from 494 individuals according to officials. Prosecutors explain that Tagliaferro used his influence as president to ensure new members were put on the membership list, even if they had not held a union position.

As the scheme operated, the chapter's membership grew by 800 new members. However, more than half of the new members never held a union job during their time of membership.

Authorities explained that the duo would collect the money and then split the bribes during early morning meetings near a lower Manhattan construction site. The DOJ shared that the two were able to secure just under $300,000 because of their scheme.

After a week-long trial at the end of April, Tagliaferro was found guilty by a Manhattan federal court of several charges including honest services wire fraud, conversion of Union assets, and conspiracy after his involvement in the scheme that solicited cash bribes for Union membership.

At the close of Salvatore Tagliaferro’s trial, U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss shared, “As a unanimous jury has now found, Salvatore Tagliaferro is guilty of old-fashioned corruption – betraying his duty to the union and the trust of its hard-working members by taking cash bribes to line his own pockets.”

Tagliaferro’s defense attempted to place the blame on DeFalco, explaining that the co-conspirator was fully to blame for duping Tagliaferro. His defense called DeFalco “a hardcore criminal” who “was playing chess” while “Sal [Tagliaferro] isn't playing anything at all.” The jury did not buy the defense as Tagliaferro was found guilty by a unanimous jury.

DeFalco pled guilty to the charges against him and cooperated with authorities during the course of the investigation.