Philadelphia ex-union boss John Dougherty to begin prison sentence Tuesday after motion to move date denied
A judge denied John Dougherty's motion to move his surrender date on Monday, which means the former Philadelphia labor leader will head to prison on Tuesday to begin his six-year sentence after he was found guilty on bribery and embezzlement charges.
Dougherty requested his surrender date to be moved from Tuesday to Friday, Oct. 25, but it was unsuccessful. CBS News Philadelphia has learned he is expected to surrender at Lewisburg Federal Correctional Institution.
Dougherty was sentenced to six years in prison in July in Reading, Pennsylvania, for federal bribery and embezzlement following multiple high-profile trials.
"Look, I'm the boss. That's what happens," Dougherty said following his sentencing.
Dougherty, aka "Johnny Doc," was the former powerful union boss of Philadelphia's IBEW Local 98. Prosecutors said Dougherty, who served as Local 98's business manager, used union money to pay contractors for work done at homes and businesses owned by himself, as well as friends and family. He was also accused of using more than $600,000 in funds from the electrician's union for personal purchases.
Dougherty's first conviction happened in 2021 on counts of bribery and fraud in connection to using former Councilman Bobby Henon to advance work and projects for Local 98. Henon is serving a 3 ½ year prison sentence after a jury convicted him alongside Dougherty.
Dougherty wasn't the only IBEW Local 98 member sentenced to prison.
Dougherty's codefendant, ex-union president Brian Burrows, was also found guilty in December. Burrows was accused of hiring a contractor, called during the trial as the government's key witness, to do tens of thousands of dollars worth of renovations in his home. Evidence showed Burrows directed the contractor to submit the work bill directly to Local 98. Burrows was sentenced to four years and prison. Several members of Dougherty's inner circle took plea deals.
After Dougherty's sentencing, he opened up to CBS News Philadelphia in an exclusive interview about the trials and more.
In April 2024, a judge declared a mistrial in an extortion case involving Dougherty and his nephew Greg Fiocca. Prosecutors alleged Fiocca assaulted a contractor in August 2020. The jury told a Berks County judge it was deadlocked after a day of deliberations.