Athens man pleads guilty to stealing $290K from union

ALBANY―An Athens man has admitted to stealing more than $290,000 while serving as president of a labor union.

Kye Carbone, 69, pleaded guilty last month to three counts of wire fraud and three counts of theft from a labor union, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  

Between 2003 and 2023, Carbone served as the president of United Federation of College Teachers Local 1460, the union representing faculty members at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 2023 Carbone was voted out of office.

He was arrested on October 17, 2025, on an indictment charging him with 30 counts of wire fraud and theft from a labor union.

As part of his plea deal, Carbone admitted to stealing $290,468.05 from the union between 2011 and 2023, and using the money for personal expenses, restaurants and travel.

According to court documents, Carbone purchased a home in Athens in 2014 and began living there the following year.

“Unions exist to protect and uplift their members, yet this defendant chose greed over duty, stealing from the very people he was entrusted to serve,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III.

“Carbone didn’t just steal money—he betrayed the union he served for nearly two decades,” Sarcone added.

The wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine per count, as well as up to three years of supervised post-imprisonment release.  The embezzlement charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 per count, as well as up to 3 years of supervised post-imprisonment release.  

Sentencing is set for October 20 in Albany.

The Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, and the Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards investigated the case.