The United States Attorney Office (USAO) under the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that Kyle Chasse (now 38), a shipyard worker who once worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), has pleaded guilty to fraud for misappropriating more than $10,000 from the union while serving as the union president.
Court records show that Kyle Chasse, while serving as president of Local Union 745 of the Steelworkers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from 2020 to 2022, made unauthorized expenditures and subsequently misreported those expenditures to union members, the international union, and the federal government.
In April this year, Kyle Chasse pleaded not guilty to more than 10 charges, but changed his stance on June 26 and admitted to misconduct.
According to court records, Kyle Chasse embezzled over $10,000 in union funds between 2020 and 2022, while serving as the union’s president. As part of the scheme, Chasse withdrew cash and made debit purchases using the union’s bank account, all without authorization by the union. The debit transactions included purchases from bars, restaurants, vending machines, and other businesses. Chasse made false statements to cover up his fraudulent use of the funds. These false statements included a union financial disclosure form filed with the federal government, in which Chasse misrepresented the amount of money he had received from the union.
Chasse faces up to 20 years of imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Public information shows that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established on June 12, 1800. It is the oldest and continuously operating shipyard in the U.S. Navy. Its main business scope currently includes submarine repair, renovation and modernization.