IBEW's International Office Only Made Aware Of John Dougherty's Corruption Allegations Through Media Reports

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The international office of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is responding to last week's indictment of several members, including Local 98 leader John Dougherty.

Dougherty, City Councilman Bobby Henon and several others affiliated with the union are all facing corruption charges in the federal indictment. All have plead not guilty.

The union says they were made aware of the allegations through media reports.

"In light of the allegations, representatives of the international office have been sent to Local 98 to monitor the situation and ensure that proper policies and procedures are being followed," the international office said in a statement. "That internal process is ongoing, and we will have no further comment on it at this time."

Local 98 spokesman Frank Keel responded to the international office's statement Friday:

"Everyone, including all of us at Local 98, only learned of the indictments after the government held its press conference last week. Immediately following the announcement, we dutifully notified the IBEW. Following the government's searches in August 2016, we hired the best legal team, the finest forensic auditors and the most respected professionals in the industry to ensure the highest level of reporting and compliance possible. Recommendations were made by these professionals to improve our controls and policies and were considered and adopted by Local 98's leadership. We appreciate our International's role in this process and are working closely with them to facilitate their fact-finding and reporting efforts."

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• John Dougherty