Union contractor guilty of giving failed Philly state Senate candidate price break

An electrical contractor tied to recently failed state Senate candidate and union leader John Dougherty pleaded guilty on Monday to giving an illegal price break on renovations to his house, The Inquirer reports.

The plea by the contractor, Donald "Gus" Dougherty, was not unexpected, with Dougherty previously having pleaded guilty to 98 of the 100 charges against him, most of which involved tax evasion and fraud. The two are not related, but have been friends since childhood.

The guilty plea by his friend is the latest in a series of political setbacks for John Dougherty, who has long led the city's powerful electricians union. After picking the wrong horse in last year's race for Philadelphia mayor, he suffered an upset loss in his bid to replace long-time 1st district state Sen. Vince Fumo, falling in last month's Democratic primary to Center City lawyer Larry Farnese.

The timing of Gus Dougherty's updated plea is curious. In stating his intention last month to take the two remaining charges - the only ones which involved John Dougherty - to trial, he seemed to be guarding his friend against any unnecessary political fallout before the primary. That may not have done much good, with Farnese using a slew of negative advertising to paint the union leader as corrupt.

Gus Dougherty's lawyer denied politics were in any way involved in the plea deal. John Dougherty has still not been charged, though authorities have indicated he is still the subject of investigation. He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Federal labor laws prohibit contractors who use union labor to give gifts of certain value to union officials.

"John never agreed or intended that he would get a deal or pay anything other than the fair market value of the job," John Dougherty's spokesman told The Inquirer.

One point of relief for John Dougherty: There's no longer any pressure for him to testify on behalf of his friend. He had sought immunity to testify, something prosecutors staunchly opposed. But with Gus Dougherty having pled guilty to 99 of 100 counts against him, and prosecutors having shelved the final charge, it looks like whatever legal woes John Dougherty may face in the future, he can put Gus Dougherty behind him for now.