Freddy Escobar stood on the sidewalk outside his former workplace waving a green thumb drive and a stack of papers that he said would clear his name.
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The suspended president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City said he couldn’t get into the office where he’s worked since 2018. He said the union’s parent organization had changed the locks to the building and the gate code to the parking garage.
He rang the doorbell to deliver his evidence, including photos of receipts, to counter allegations that he hadn’t documented many of his credit card purchases. But there was no answer.
“Wow,” he said. As he turned to face news cameras, Escobar closed his eyes for a moment. “An organization that I would have died for is not giving me an opportunity now to present to them what they’ve been looking for.”
The dramatic scene unfolded Friday morning outside the union’s office in Historic Filipinotown, four days after the International Assn. of Fire Fighters suspended Escobar and two other union officers over financial improprieties, including “serious problems” with missing receipts.
The IAFF also placed UFLAC under conservatorship, a first for any of the local firefighter unions overseen by the Washington, D.C.-based organization, a spokesperson said. The unprecedented move followed Times reports about the IAFF’s financial audit as well as massive overtime payments to Escobar and other union officials.
IAFF General President Edward Kelly disclosed the audit’s findings in a letter to UFLAC members Monday.
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