Jury picked for ex-union chief John Dougherty’s second felony trial

John J. Dougherty arrived at Philadelphia’s federal courthouse on Wednesday for the start of his second felony trial projecting none of the brash confidence he carried with him at the start of his first.

Dougherty strode into the building as that earlier proceeding began — a 2021 bribery case alongside then-Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon — flanked by a team of lawyers and supporters, stopped to joke with waiting TV news cameras, and confidently predicted that he’d be convicted of “zero crimes.”

On Wednesday, he was accompanied only by his lawyers, said nothing to a small crowd of reporters outside, and quietly made his way into the large ceremonial courtroom set aside to pick the 12-member panel that will decide his fate. He offered a few quiet smiles throughout the day as he sat before the panel of 83 prospective jurors summoned by the court.

» READ MORE: Former Local 98 leader John Dougherty is on trial again, this time for embezzling from his union. Here’s what you need to know.

And his taciturn demeanor hadn’t abated by the time — eight hours later — the court had selected a panel of seven women, five men, and six alternates to hear the case.

Among those chosen were an Air Force veteran, two local educators, a member of the Teamsters union, and a handful of tech workers — all drawn from across the Philadelphia region. The jurors range from their 20s to retirement age.

Dougherty, 63, and his lawyer, Greg Pagano, declined to say anything about the panel as they left court for the day, saving any comments they may have had about the case for the proceedings set to play out over the next five to six weeks.

Dougherty’s second trial, scheduled to proceed with opening statements Monday, has the potential — perhaps even more than the first — to recast his legacy as a visionary leader who over three decades transformed his 5,000-member union, Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, into a political powerhouse.

In the 2021 bribery case, where the former labor leader and Council member were ultimately convicted on federal bribery charges, Dougherty built his defense around his public image as a fierce champion of union labor. Every action he took and all the pressure he put on Henon to advance Local 98′s interests in city government, he maintained, he did for the union’s members.

The new case will put that persona to the test. Dougherty, along with former Local 98 president Brian Burrows, is accused of directly stealing from his union’s membership.

Prosecutors say the ex-union leader and five others embezzled more than $600,000 in union funds between 2010 and 2016, spending it on everything from pricey dinners and shopping sprees to more than $8,000 worth of mundane purchases such as frozen food, toothpaste, and breakfast cereal from Target.

» READ MORE: Johnny Doc is accused of spending thousands on his friends and family with Local 98 money. Here’s what he bought.

Dougherty and Burrows are also accused of using union money to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in renovation work on their homes and those of their family members.

Both men have denied the charges and predicted they will be acquitted of the dozens of charges they face — including counts of conspiracy, embezzlement, wire fraud, and falsification of labor union records, the most serious of which could send Dougherty to prison for up to 20 years and Burrows for as many as five. Dougherty is expected to be sentenced in the bribery case — for which he faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charge — once the remaining charges against him are resolved.

Still, throughout the jury selection process Wednesday, the reach of Dougherty and his former union across the Philadelphia region was hard to miss.

At least three of the potential jurors said they were Local 98 members. Several others said they had close relationships with other members of the IBEW local.

One prospective juror told the court he’d attended the charter high school founded by Local 98 and run by Dougherty’s daughter, Erin, who prosecutors say benefited from home repairs and sports tickets on the union’s dime.

Another prospective panelist said her family grew up with Dougherty’s.

None of those prospects was ultimately picked for the panel.

But while Dougherty and Pagano remained silent about those who had been selected, Burrows’ lawyer, Thomas A. Bergstrom, said he looked forward to putting on a defense for his client.

“We’re feeling pretty good about it,” he said. “We have a different type of case.”