The thing about Johnny Doc

On Monday, November 15, 2021, John (Johnny Doc) Dougherty and Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon were both found guilty of conspiracy and multiple counts of honest services wire fraud in their federal corruption trial in a Federal Courtroom in Philadelphia.
John Dougherty, Business Manager for IBEW Union 98, was found guilty of eight of 11 charges against him. Councilman Henon, a former member of IBEW 98, was found guilty of 10 of 18 charges against him. Even while a City Council member, Henon continued to collect a paycheck from IBEW. To me, that was one of the things that was never clearly explained during the trial.
Sentencing for the Councilman is set for February 22, 2022. Sentencing for union leader is set for February 23, 2022.
It’s been reported that both men could face up to 20 years in prison, and both have already made it known that they plan to appeal.
“Justice was not served today, and I can’t tell you how disappointed I am by the jury’s decision,” Dougherty said in a written statement. “What Councilman Henon and I were found guilty of is how business and politics are typically and properly conducted. I will immediately appeal and have every confidence that I will prevail in the ThirdCircuit Court of Appeals.”
Defense lawyers insisted that there had been no undue influence and argued that the city allows council members to hold outside jobs. The defense also questioned how it was a crime for union supporter Henon to side with Dougherty and the building trades workers he was elected to represent.
To me, John Dougherty has a kind of a notorious reputation for being a tough guy who will shake things up to get things done for his union members. Largely over the years, that’s the way I’ve heard many union bosses described. Soft, easy guys usually don’t lead labor unions, or not for long, so it’s said. With my own eyes, I’ve witnessed at least twenty-five to thirty African American groups come to Johnny Doc for help to assist needy families or low-income teens for the holidays. These were small groups without any non-profit status and all of that, who just needed a little extra help. If they were sincere, he would help them.
I knew of a young lady who dreamed of starting a sewing class for youth in North Philly, but she had no money to purchase sewing machines or any of the supplies needed to make her dream a reality. Someone advised her to write up a brief plan for what she wanted to do and a letter to go with it and send it to John Dougherty. About five days later, that young woman had a check in her hands from Johnny Doc’s union. I believe the amount was somewhere between five thousand and six thousand dollars. She was able to go purchase seven brand new sewing machines and some materials and thread. She started a sewing program for youth that was free for them to attend in the Allegheny West area of North Philadelphia. That was about six years ago. That same young lady gave a written report to Dougherty after the first series of sewing classes were completed, which included all the receipts for the sewing machines, material purchases, photos of the students, and videos of the students in class.
That’s the way things should be done. When you receive a grant or funding, a report should be given, indicating how the money was spent and show proof, as in receipts. And I am a believer that video footage and photographs say a million words.
At this point, I am sure the Feds who have been investigating Johnny Doc for so long, have all the records that show details, dates, and amounts of funds that IBEW 98 gave out to non-profits and other deserving individuals who came to John Dougherty needing a hand-up, not a handout, over the years, but you won’t hear about any of that in the news, except here in the SCOOP USA Newspaper.
Guess what? The groups that did get financial assistance from Johnny Doc weren’t all Irish American or all Irish organizations. While I am very certain that John Doc is extremely proud of his heritage and from whence he’s come, just as I am very proud of my African heritage, and from whence I have come, he has still helped people from all racial backgrounds. And don’t let me get started calling out the names of wanna-be elected officials and those who made it into office, who got campaign contributions because Johnny Doc thought they would make good, elected officials, or he saw something special in them.
I am not on Johnny Doc’s payroll, and he doesn’t need me to defend him. I just believe in being fair. Doc has Kevin Feeley, his PR man, and spokesman to speak up on his behalf. I just can’t sit back and be mum when I know good things about someone who is being kicked around, and so many negative things are being said about him. I am not the F.B.I. I did not raid Johnny Doc’s office. I am not privy to all the information in his files or computers. I can only attest to what I’ve seen with my eyes and what’s been told to me by small organization leaders who had nothing and were not going to be able to take kids to Great Adventure or Sesame Street Place, or host a senior citizen’s fair, except that Johnny Doc and the Electrical Workers Union stepped in and put the money up to make the event a reality.
Because of Johnny Doc, every year just a few days before Thanksgiving, thousands of poor families got treated to a turkey so they can at least have a decent Thanksgiving holiday. I wonder if that can happen this year. As of this writing, Johnny Doc has resigned and we don’t know if anyone will help families for the holidays. As for Councilman Henon, when an elected official is “convicted,” usually they must vacate their office immediately. Period Pooh.