A former union president who represented faculty at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 in union dues to fund personal expenses and renovate his upstate New York home.
Federal agents arrested Kye Carbone, 68, of Athens, New York, on Oct. 17, 2025, after a grand jury returned a 30-count indictment charging him with wire fraud and embezzlement.
Carbone led the United Federation of College Teachers Local 1460 for two decades. Prosecutors say he began diverting union money in 2011 and continued stealing for 12 years until members voted him out of office in 2023.
According to the indictment, Carbone used union funds as his personal bank account, spending more than $290,000 on travel, restaurant bills, personal expenses and payments linked to his private property in Athens. Investigators say a substantial portion of the stolen money went toward purchasing and renovating the Greene County home.
“As alleged, Carbone embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the union he claimed to serve and used the money to fund his lifestyle and buy a home in the Hudson Valley,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “But if you steal money from a union, your next home will be a federal prison.”
The Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General helped lead the investigation. Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone said the agency is committed to rooting out fraud within labor organizations.
Carbone faces three counts of wire fraud, each carrying up to 20 years in prison, and 27 counts of embezzlement, which carry up to five years each. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista in Albany and was released pending trial.
Prosecutors emphasized that Carbone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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