Post by Scumhunter on Jul 21, 2014 15:26:55 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: amw.com archives)
Profile as of July 21st, 2004 (based on August 2009 amw.com archived profile):
Current Age: 57-59
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160
Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair):Gray / White
Eyes: Blue
Traits and Habits: Loves to drink beer and smoke cigarettes
Location information: Buckley was born in Ireland and lived in Woodside, New York before vanishing.
Who to call if you've seen him: Based on agencies described in old AMW article, our advice would be to call your local FBI Field Office or Embassy or visit tips.fbi.gov
Investigation Starts Without Focus on Buckley
The FBI's New York office began an investigation back in 1999 into the Local I -- the International Union of Elevator Constructors -- based on information that the union was run by "mobbed-up" people that were extorting union personnel.
Soon, the Feds discovered that union officials and representatives were engaging in "no-show job schemes" while being extorted and forced into the schemes by members and associates of the Genovese and Gambino crime families.
These folks, according to the Feds, were putting certain people on the payroll for work performed without them even being present on the job sites.
In April 1999, the feds used informants to infiltrate the scheme, and then on February 5, 2002 busted the case wide open.
That's when the FBI and the United States Attorneys Office indicted 27 members of Local 1 International Union of Elevator Constructors.
The 27 were arrested for on a number of serious money laundering and related charges.
The Scheme Gets Bigger
But it didn't stop there.
Soon, another scheme was uncovered, this one involving the payroll at the new headquarters for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. That's the taxpayer-funded agency that runs all of New York's subways and buses, among other things.
The FBI found out the MTA was being billed by
Local 1 and Local 14 labor unions for work on the new buildings' elevators that wasn't being done.
Once again, the feds say it was all a scam to rip taxpayers off.
Robert Buckley was a key person in this scheme, the FBI says. While everyone else was indicted, the Feds say Buckley took off.
The FBI says Buckley was responsible for negotiating the majority of the $14 million scam at a check cashing facility in New Jersey run by Genovese family associates. They, too, have been charged and currently in prison.
Buckley could in upstate New York, but also has ties to Ireland, where he was born.
Thoughts? The above was from the old amw.com archives. Buckley was a web-exclusive case and has recently been aired on AMW radio. This is an interesting case since I don't know too many scams like this. Upstate New York makes sense, but I think on the passage of time, Buckley high-tailed it to Ireland. As Pakman has stated in regards to Joseph Maloney, it is a country where it is very easy to hide in a small unassuming town.
UPDATE: While Buckley was still at large at the time of posting (7/21/2014), I have not found anything online as to what his status is as of this update (7/20/2018). I feel it is reasonably safe to assume he is still at large since I have not found anything online suggesting otherwise. However, if anyone has any updates/proof-of-updates one way or the other, they are always more than welcome to let us know.
Admin Note: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
