A former union official at Bath Iron Works has agreed to plead guilty to a federal embezzlement charge for stealing $280,000 from a shipbuilder’s union in Bath, according to court documents filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Ryan Jones, 34, of Biddeford is scheduled to plead guilty in federal court next Wednesday to one count of embezzling from a labor union.

Jones was indicted on charges of embezzling $280,000 from Local S6 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers from 2012 to 2016. He was the secretary-treasurer of the union.

Jones faces up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000, and can be ordered to pay restitution.

The union released a statement in August saying it had discovered the funds were missing, barred Jones from holding a union elective office and contacted the Department of Labor, which launched an investigation that led to the indictment.

Daniel Perry, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote in court documents that had the case gone to trial, evidence would have included bank records and fraudulent bank records. The federal investigation showed the defendant had made 199 unauthorized withdrawals from the union bank account and that Jones generated fraudulent monthly bank statements to conceal the withdrawals, Perry said.

The union said it has filed a claim with its bonding company and expects full restitution to be paid to members of the Bath local.

Gillian Graham can be contacted at 791-6315 or at:

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