(CelebrityAccess News Service) – Thomas F. Lee, president, American Federation of Musicians, has released the following statement on
conclusion of the John Rosenberg and Robert O'Donnell criminal investigation:
"The American Federation of Musicians, a union representing 100,000
professional musicians, and the Sound Recording Special Payments Fund
jointly announced that the criminal charges they filed in August 2002
against John Rosenberg and Robert O'Donnell, Local 47 members in Los
Angeles, have been brought to a successful conclusion. The Fund was
established by the AFM through collective bargaining with the major
recording companies and is designed to provide payments to professional
musicians based on revenues generated from record sales."
"A comprehensive investigation into those charges by the Los Angeles Police
Department, spearheaded by Detective Packer, established that Rosenberg and
O'Donnell had engaged in a scheme dating back many years which resulted in
defrauding the Fund, and their fellow musicians who participate in it, of
approximately a quarter of a million dollars. Their method of operation was
to submit paperwork to the Union representing that they had engaged in
thousands of sessions at recording studios when, in fact, those purported
sessions never took place."
"Several days ago Rosenberg and O'Donnell both made full restitution to the
Fund– $225,000 from Rosenberg and $20,000 from O'Donnell. On the basis of
those payments and the fact that neither had a prior criminal record, a
Superior Court judge for the State of California, Los Angeles County,
consistent with established practice, accepted guilty pleas for misdemeanors
and placed them on summary probation for the next three years."
"Upon learning of Rosenberg and O'Donnell's criminal convictions, AFM
President Tom Lee stated emphatically: 'The message this should send is that
any person who defrauds the Fund, and thereby his/her fellow musicians, will
be held accountable for his actions under the applicable criminal justice
system.'"
"Norman Samnick, Chair of the Fund's Oversight Committee added that: 'I hope
and expect that this regrettable incident will serve as an effective
deterrent to one and all.'"
"The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is the
largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of
professional musicians. Whether it is negotiating fair agreements,
protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health
care and pension, or lobbying our legislators, the AFM is committed to
raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the
foreground of the cultural landscape." –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
