A former president and business manager of the United Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 1658, a labor union based in Pine Bluff, was ordered Friday to repay $9,317.98 that he admitted taking from the union between September 2017 and June 2018.
U.S. District Judge Brian Miller also sentenced Michael Johnson to five years of probation.
After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, Johnson pleaded guilty March 6 to a charge of embezzlement of union assets, for which he faced up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He pleaded guilty before a grand jury could review his case for possible indictment.
Federal prosecutors didn't oppose Johnson's request for probation in lieu of a prison term.
After considering Johnson's financial status, Miller ordered him to pay the restitution immediately, in a lump sum, rather than in installments during his probationary period.
For the first six months of his probation, he will be subject to a curfew and location monitoring, according to a judgment and commitment report that Miller signed.
The union has a little more than 200 members and six employees, according to its website. It has assets of just less than $100,000.
Johnson was represented at his sentencing by Chris Tarver, an assistant federal public defender. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Morgan.