PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia union leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty could soon get out of prison after President Donald Trump signed a commutation ending his six-year sentence Thursday, his attorney, George Bochetto, told NBC10.
Dougherty was convicted in 2023 of bribing a City Council member and embezzling nearly $600,000 from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Known as “Johnny Doc,” Dougherty ran the union for nearly three decades and was a Democratic power broker in Pennsylvania politics, steering tens of millions of dollars in union campaign contributions to candidates.
Dougherty was previously indicted in 2019 after a lengthy FBI investigation.
In November 2021, he and a City Council member were convicted of conspiracy in a corruption trial. Prosecutors said Dougherty kept Bobby Henon, a union electrician-turned-City Council member, on the payroll to help his union keep a tight grip on construction jobs.
Dougherty was convicted of eight counts, including conspiracy and honest services wire fraud, while Henon was convicted of 10 counts, including conspiracy, bribery and honest services wire fraud. Dougherty was also acquitted of three fraud counts and Henon of eight fraud and bribery counts.
Dougherty had four more years on his sentence and is expected to be released soon, his attorney said.
