🗞️ The Treasurer Who Treated Union Dues as a Personal ATM
A former postal union treasurer in Ohio was sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to repay more than $74,000 after stealing from her local branch over nearly two years.
Samantha Zirkle, the former treasurer of National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 533 based in Portland, Ohio, was sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to pay $74,663 in restitution after federal investigators found she had made at least 51 unauthorized withdrawals from her local union's bank account over a period spanning nearly two years.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), through its Cincinnati regional office, determined that Zirkle signed and cashed checks drawn from Branch 533's account between May 4, 2022, and March 25, 2024. The checks, totaling $64,663, were made payable to Zirkle and used for personal expenses. The restitution figure of $74,663 encompasses the full amount taken plus $10,000 in liquidated damages.
On April 20, 2026, Zirkle pleaded guilty to theft in Howard County, Indiana Superior Court. Beyond probation and restitution, she was barred from serving in any union official capacity for 13 years — a consequence of federal law under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), which prohibits individuals convicted of certain crimes from holding union office.
The case reflects the kind of enforcement activity that OLMS conducts routinely across the country. The agency investigates violations of the LMRDA, including embezzlement of union funds by officers entrusted with members' dues. Those dues, in the case of NALC branches, are deducted directly from members' paychecks and are intended to fund collective bargaining operations and member services.
Key Points
- Zirkle issued at least 51 unauthorized checks to herself between May 2022 and March 2024, totaling $64,663 in misappropriated union funds.
- She pleaded guilty to theft on April 20, 2026, in Howard County, Indiana Superior Court.
- A sentence of six years of probation was imposed, along with a restitution order of $74,663, which includes $10,000 in liquidated damages above the stolen amount.
- Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, she is barred from holding union office for 13 years.
- The investigation was conducted by the OLMS Cincinnati regional office.
- OLMS maintains an active criminal enforcement program nationwide, with cases involving union officers recorded across multiple fiscal years.
Primary Source Author: Megan Ireland, OLMS Regional Director, Cincinnati
Primary Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards
Primary Source Link: DOL Press Release, May 21, 2026
