Former Mount Prospect union leader gets probation

A retired union leader who once lived in Mount Prospect was sentenced to three years' probation Thursday for demanding and accepting thousands of dollars worth of farm equipment for his personal farm from a company that employed the union's workers.

William E. Dugan, 77, now of Hancock, Md., was president and business manager of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, headquartered in Countryside, from 1988 through 2005.

Dugan admitted that in 2005 he demanded and accepted several concrete feeders valued at approximately $500 apiece for his buffalo farm in Maryland, according to the FBI. He also admitted to purchasing farm equipment for thousands of dollars below market value from a company unionized by Local 150 workers.

Dugan also was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay restitution and the costs of his supervision.