Ex-union lawyer for NYC dancers pleads guilty

[July 08, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A union lawyer who represented dancers and stagehands at the American Ballet Theatre has pleaded guilty to a charge of falsifying reports.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the plea Thursday by Leonard Leibowitz.

He is the former attorney for the Independent Artists of America, a union which represented about 80 ABT dancers and stagehands.

The prosecutor says Leibowitz wrote union checks to himself, his law firm, and his former wife.

The 72-year-old resident of Highland Beach, Fla., faces up to a year in prison when he's sentenced on Oct. 14.

As part of his plea deal, he must pay about $76,000 in restitution to the American Guild of Musical Artists. That union is the successor to the IAA.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.