SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KRON) – The leader of California’s largest labor union is facing possible prison time.
Former California SEIU Leader Alma Hernandez and her husband were booked into the Sacramento County Jail Friday on charges including tax fraud and embezzlement.
Within a matter of days, Hernandez went from leading California’s largest worker’s union to being booked into jail.
Following an arraignment, Friday, the former executive director of California’s Service Employee’s International Union and her husband, Jose Moscoso, were taken into custody.
Hernandez and Moscoso face multiple felony charges, including tax fraud, embezzlement, and perjury.
The state attorney general’s office says an investigation found the couple under-reported their income by more than $1.4 million over the span of five years.
In the criminal complaint filed earlier this week, investigators said Hernandez also misused a political fundraising account to pay her husband for work he did not do.
The couple’s attorney, Jeffrey Tsai, would not answer questions as he walked out of the courthouse Friday.
As of late Friday afternoon, Hernandez had been released from jail, while online records show her husband is ineligible for bail.
Hernandez has resigned from her role at SEIU California, which represents more than 700,000 workers across the state.
In a statement, the union’s council said in part it is ‘deeply concerned by the allegations and is doubling down on efforts to ensure all officers and staff adhere to the highest level of ethical and financial conduct.’
The couple’s next hearing is set for November 9.