Michael Forde, former executive secretary-treasurer of the carpenters’ union district council in New York City, was sentenced on Nov. 19 in U.S. district court in Manhattan to 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a 15-year racketeering scheme. Pleading guilty in July to racketeering charges, he admitted to taking bribes from multiple contractors, helping union firms cheat union benefits funds out of millions of dollars, rigging job assignments and obstructing investigations into his conduct. Forde, 56, was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and to compensate the union and its benefits funds an as-yet-undetermined amount. “I take full responsibility for my actions,” said Forde. “I betrayed trust.” He is set to surrender to authorities on Jan. 7.