December 20, 1999

Canoga Park Businessman Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling From Employee Pension Fund

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

December 16, 1999

Department Of Labor Wins More Than $63 Thousand Judgment Against Memphis Company And President For Failure To Remit Plan Money

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

American Technical Institute (ATI) of Memphis, Tenn., and its president, Dr. Dallas Wayne Jones, were ordered to pay $63,554.68 to the institute’s money purchase plan in a judgment won Dec. 1, 1999, by the U.S. Department of Labor.

December 14, 1999

Labor Department Proposes Exemption For Plans Engaging In Securities Cross-Trades

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor today announced a proposed class exemption to allow investment firms to cross-trade securities of employee benefit plan clients with other accounts managed by the firms.

December 14, 1999

Labor Department Settles Lawsuit Against Florida Trustee For Self Dealing In Violation Of Federal Pension Law

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

December 7, 1999

Daniel Maguire Appointed To Head New Health Benefit Office

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The Department of Labor's Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) today announced the appointment of Daniel J. Maguire as director of the newly created Office of Health Plan Standards and Compliance Assistance.

December 1, 1999

Labor Department Proposes Rules to Improve Security Of Small Pension Plan Assets

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The Labor Department’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration today published a notice of proposed rulemaking to improve the security of more than $300 billion in assets held in private-sector pension plans maintained by small businesses.

December 1, 1999

Labor Department Settlement Restores More Than $20 Thousand To Illinois Plan Participants

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a settlement with officials of the Rolling Meadows, Ill. accounting and auditing firm of Whitfield and Reninger, Ltd., requiring them to restore $20,406 in principal and interest to two profit sharing plan participants and to pay $4,081 in civil monetary penalties.

November 29, 1999

Labor Department Proposes Interest Free Loans And Credit For Plan Y2k Problems

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) today proposed an amendment to an existing class exemption which would allow plans to receive interest free loans and extensions of credit from related parties to pay for unanticipated Y2K computer problems. Since 1998, PWBA has been providing guidance to the plan community in an effort to help them prepare for their Y2K contingency planning.

November 23, 1999

Delaware Pension Plan Trustees Sued For Making Over $450,000 In Improper Plan Loans

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor has sued the trustees of the John E. Healy & Sons Pension Plan of New Castle, Del. for making over $450,000 in improper loans with plan money.

November 23, 1999

Alabama Company To Pay $9,000 To Its 401(K) Plan Participants

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U.S. Labor Department has obtained a partial settlement in its case involving an Anniston, Ala. non-profit corporation’s 401(k) profit sharing plan.

The action will result in $9,000 being recouped for the plan and will resolve a restitution issue concerning employee contributions of $8,331.82 not remitted to the plan for the period of April 30, 1997 to June 30, 1997, as well as interest which would have accrued.

November 18, 1999

Ohio Man Pleads Guilty To Pension Embezzlement

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

An executive of Columbus, Ohio-based Buckeye Technical Services, Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of embezzling $3,241 from the company’s 401(k) plan, according to documents filed in federal court today.

November 15, 1999

Proposed National Medical Support Notice To Cover More American Children

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Today the U.S. Department of Labor is proposing rules that would implement provisions of the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998 that are intended to help children gain access to coverage under their noncustodial parents’ employer-based group health plans.

November 15, 1999

Labor Department Sues Florida Company Official For Failing To Forward Employee Contributions To 401(K) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U.S. Department of Labor has sued a Florida pension plan official for deducting but not forwarding $84,521 from employees’ paychecks to the company-sponsored 401(k) savings and investment plan.

November 9, 1999

Labor Department, IRS Extend Filing Time For Annual Reports Due To Hurricanes Floyd And Irene

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration and Internal Revenue Service today extended the deadline for filing annual returns/reports (Form 5500 series) due to Hurricanes Floyd and Irene.

The extension applies to employee benefit plans, banks and insurance companies located in the counties designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as federal disaster areas because of the hurricanes.

November 2, 1999

Seafarers Union In Puerto Rico Sued For Retaining Welfare Contributions

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent order requiring the Seafarers International Union of Puerto Rico, the Carribbean and Latin America to repay $374,729, plus interest, to its welfare plan as repayment for improperly retained employer contributions owed to the welfare plan.

November 1, 1999

Advisory Committee On Negotiated Rulemaking To Hold Public Meetings

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor’s ERISA Section 3(40) Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee will hold public meetings on November 16 and 17 to continue discussions on developing a proposed rule on whether an employee benefit plan is established or maintained under a collective bargaining agreement.

October 29, 1999

Labor Department Sues Albuquerque Officials For Violations Affecting Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The U. S. Department of Labor has sued Albuquerque, N.M.-based Reams Communications, Inc. doing business as ValuLine Long Distance, and its officials for a series of prohibited transactions that have reduced the value of the company-sponsored employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).

The ESOP was established by Reams Communications in January 1, 1992. It had 102 participants and $1,093,631 in assets as of Dec. 31, 1995.

October 28, 1999

Albuquerque Company Ordered To Repay Its 401(K) Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

A New Mexico State Court ordered Albuquerque-based R.B. French Fire & Sound, Inc. to pay restitution of employee contributions which the company failed to remit to the company’s 401(k) account and serve 18 months probation.

October 27, 1999

Minnesota Trustees Ordered To Correct ERISA Plan Violations Under Consent Order And Judgment

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

Thomas Buchanan, William Buchanan, and John Buchanan, trustees of the Northern-Minnesota Wisconsin Area Health Care Retirement Plans for union and non-union employees of Donjer, Inc. and Buchanan Nursing Home, Inc. (BNH) in Duluth, Minn., were ordered to terminate the plans and make distribution of plan assets to plan participants under a consent order and judgment reached with the U.S. Department of Labor.

October 26, 1999

Labor Department Obtains Court Order Restoring Employee Contributions To Wisconsin Pension Plan

Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.

The owners of Team Tooling, Inc. in Fond du Lac, Wis., were ordered to make restitution to the plan for failure to remit voluntary employee contributions to the company’s retirement plan and were permanently barred from serving in positions of trust to any plan governed by federal pension law, as part of a consent order and judgment obtained by the U.S. Department of Labor.