Main Line Contractor Stole Employee, Union Wages: Authorities

MAIN LINE, PA — A Main Line man who owns plumbing contacting firm is facing felony charges after authorities said he stole paycheck funds that belonged to his employees and their union, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.

The DA's office Monday said Joseph Voegele, 49, of Wayne, has been charged with 37 counts each of felony theft by Unlawful taking, felony theft by deception, and felony theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received.

Voegele is the owner of Voegele Mechanical and accused of stealing $110,000 from the pay of 37 employees between August 2017 to July 2018 for other uses.

The District Attorney's Office's Worker Protection Unit brought this case to court.

Detectives and prosecutors launched an investigation in October 2019 after officials with Plumbers Local 690 became aware of Voegele Mechanical’s delinquent account with their union, the DA's office said.

Witness interviews and payroll documents indicate that funds authorized by employees to be taken from their pay for Plumbers Local 690 had never been paid to their union, according to the DA's office.

This is the first case brought by the Worker Protection Unit, which was created by District Attorney Larry Krasner to specially investigate and prosecute economic crimes against workers. Assistant District Attorney Danielle Newsome, a former labor attorney active in the economic justice movement, was appointed DAO Labor Liaison and leads the Worker Protection Unit within the Economic Crimes Unit.

"We are able to bring this investigation to prosecution because of the diligence of our detectives and the cooperation of Plumbers Local 690, which advocated for their members," Newsome said. "The District Attorney’s Office seeks equal accountability, which is too often evasive when it comes to employers who mistreat workers. In order to have safe and productive workplaces, we must take these crimes seriously and apply equal accountability to bosses."

"Good employers treat workers with dignity and support justice and safety for all people," Krasner said. "We continue to work with organized labor and economic justice advocates to make sure workers know their rights under the law, and their options for relief if they are cheated or mistreated. I want to thank ADA Danielle Newsome and her team for making sure the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office works in service of justice for working people."

Members of the public who wish to report crimes against workers may contact the DAO Worker Protection Unit hotline at 215-686-9902 or FraudComplaint@phila.gov.