4 from labor union get fines over GOP signs

2/16/2013

Four men associated with a labor union who were accused of possessing stolen campaign signs of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year have pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and have been assessed a $250 fine.

Court records show the case was resolved in Perrysburg Municipal Court on Monday, four days earlier than scheduled.

John Russell, 39, of Toledo, and Chris Monaghan, 42, of Rossford, who are listed as business agents for Local 33 of the Sheet Metal Workers union, along with Corey J. Beaubien, 37, and Sean Bresler, 34, both of Toledo, were in a pickup registered to Local 33 in Parma, Ohio, with Romney signs in the truck on Nov. 2, according to a police report.

Court records show they were fined $250 plus $103 in court costs. The charge was reduced from receiving stolen property, a first-degree misdemeanor, to unauthorized used of property, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.

The men also paid restitution totaling $32 to the Ohio Republican Party, Freedom Works for America, and the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County, court records state.