Former Boston union leader pleads guilty to embezzlement charge

A former labor leader from Boston pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to embezzling more than $170,000 from his union.

Henry Clay Green Sr., 60, who served as secretary-treasurer of Unite Here Local 26 from 2011 to 2016, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a labor union, according to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office in Boston.

Local 26 represents hospitality industries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the statement said.

As secretary treasurer, Green held sway over the union’s financial operations, and used his position to embezzle $171,455 from the union for his own use, authorities said. He confessed when confronted by union officials, according to prosecutors.

Green is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2018. He could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine, and restitution.