UNION OFFICIAL USED STOLEN $124,000 FOR CRACK

A former Winnipegger has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for
stealing $124,000 from his union and spending it on crack cocaine.

Hugh Geary, 54, was financial secretary of the Industrial Wood and
Allied Workers union when he started writing union cheques to himself
so he could buy crack.

At a sentencing hearing in September, Geary's lawyer, Martin Glazer,
urged Justice Perry Schulman to impose a conditional sentence,
arguing that sending Geary to jail would do nothing to deter others
from doing the same thing.

But Schulman rejected that argument yesterday, saying he was
satisfied Geary "weighed the pros and cons and the risks involved"
when he forged his first bogus cheque.

"I am reasonably sure that most people who contemplate stealing from
persons who place trust in them give some consideration to the risk
of getting caught and the consequences," he said.

Court heard the union's president regularly pre-signed union cheques
for bills and expenses, which Geary then endorsed to himself.

The thefts came to light when the union president tried cashing a
cheque and it bounced.

When first questioned by police in 2004, Geary, now living in Kenora,
blamed the thefts on a "loss of reason." In a later statement he
admitted using the money to buy crack.

Glazer described Geary as a "workaholic" who first used crack as a
stimulant during work. He quickly became addicted and lost his
marriage, house and car.