A former officer of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, AFL-CIO, Local Lodge 21 in Independence, Missouri, has admitted to embezzling nearly $55,000 from the union. David L. Scofield, 65, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to multiple charges including four counts of bank fraud, one count of embezzlement theft of labor union funds, and one count of falsification of an annual financial report.
Scofield served as the recording financial secretary for BRS Local Lodge 21 from approximately 2005 until November 2023. In this role, he was authorized to access and use the union’s bank account solely for official expenses.
According to court documents, Scofield acknowledged using the union’s bank account for personal spending totaling $54,412.67. These unauthorized expenditures included payments toward his own PayPal account, credit cards, and personal loans.
Under a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Scofield is required to pay a forfeiture money judgment equal to the amount he misappropriated: $54,412.67.
Federal law allows for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison without parole on each bank fraud count; however, sentencing will ultimately be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors. Sentencing is set for March 31, 2026.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV is prosecuting the case following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards in Kansas City.
