A former official at a Bath Iron Works union pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling $280,865 from the union.

Ryan Jones, 34, of Bath, entered the guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Jones was secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local Lodge S6, from 2009 until January, when he failed to win re-election to the post. That same month, union officials noticed some discrepancies in the local’s finances and a subsequent investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that Jones made almost 200 unauthorized withdrawals from the union’s bank account and fabricated monthly bank statements to give to union auditors, court records show. He embezzled the money between May 2012 and November 2016, authorities said.

Jones faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine and will likely be ordered to make full restitution to the union. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at:

emurphy@pressherald.com