Labor leader gets 2 years in kickbacks

The president of one of Delaware County's largest labor unions was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison yesterday in connection with running a kickback scheme while he was executive vice president of the Boeing Helicopters Credit Union.

Anthony Forte, 43, of Glen Mills, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution.

Forte's brother, David, 39, of Prospect Park, was sentenced to a day in prison and ordered to pay $178,446 in restitution.

Both Fortes, who pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy, loan fraud and bank bribery, caught a big break from Schiller.

Anthony Forte had faced 57 to 71 months under advisory sentencing guidelines, but many family members, friends and union members packed Schiller's courtroom yesterday to praise Forte and ask for leniency on his behalf.

As president of the United Aerospace Workers Local 1069, he was instrumental in negotiating a contract last year for about 1,800 workers at Boeing's Ridley Park plant. (The workers churn out helicopters for the Pentagon.)

Anthony Forte was told to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 23.

Schiller gave David Forte leniency because he is blind and has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Forte served his day behind bars yesterday.

Authorities said that Anthony Forte used his position at the credit union from November 2001 to November 2002 to collect cash kickbacks from unqualified loan applicants in exchange for approving $20,000 loans.

Forte received a kickback of at least $1,000 for each loan, the feds said, and also admitted telling loan processors to approve loans despite applicants' credit problems and bogus supporting documents.

Many applications contained names of phony relatives and inflated incomes to make it appear that loan applicants were qualified when they weren't or weren't eligible to be a member of the credit union.

Authorities said that Forte recruited his brother and others to find loan applicants and pay kickbacks to Forte.

David Forte, who did not work for the credit union, also received kickbacks.

The scheme netted more than $100,000 in kickbacks for the Fortes and the middlemen, authorities said, and unqualified loan applicants obtained more than $2.2 million in bogus loans from the credit union.