SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The former executive director of California's largest labor union and her husband were taken into custody Friday on charges including tax fraud, embezzlement, perjury and failure to pay unemployment insurance taxes.
Alma Hernández and her husband, Jose Moscoso, appeared in Sacramento Superior Court and then were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. The next hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Hernández and Moscoso allegedly underreported their income by $1.4 million over the span of five years, according to a complaint filed Oct. 4 by the attorney general's office. Hernández also allegedly misused a political fundraising account to pay her husband for services he did not provide during a 2014 senate campaign, according to the complaint.
The couple's attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, did not respond to questions asked by reporters outside the courthouse. But in a statement Wednesday when the charges were announced, the couple's spokeswoman said the couple will be cleared and return to "fighting for the future of our family and community."
"Those who know her know she has devoted her entire working life to the cause of justice and dignity for working people, especially those without power, privilege, or papers," Mari Hernández said in her statement.
The charging documents include a white-collar crime enhancement that would require the couple to serve time in state prison, saying the couple's alleged pattern of felony conduct resulted in a loss to the state Franchise Tax Board of more than $100,000.
Hernández, whose union represents over 700,000 workers across the state, had been in her position since 2016 before she resigned this week. She led the union's push against recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom, with the organization donating more than $6 million to the campaign.
The union is also a major player in the Capitol, pushing for policies such as a $15 minimum wage. It represents local government employees, state workers, in-home caregivers, lecturers, janitors and health and care professionals, among others.
