Teamsters Election Delayed for Hoffa Probe

A federal judge postponed next year’s Teamsters election for at least 45 days so that investigators can probe charges of fund-raising impropriety against James Hoffa Jr., a candidate for Teamsters president. U.S. District Judge David Edelstein of New York approved a request by court-appointed interim election officer Benetta Mansfield for the delay after she said she needed time to investigate the claims. Hoffa and his campaign have been charged with numerous fund-raising and expenditure violations by Teamsters President Ron Carey, Hoffa’s bitter rival who was barred this week from running in the new election. (Carey has appealed the disqualification.) Ballots were to be mailed to 1.4 million Teamsters members Feb. 16, and counting was to begin March 17. The new election was ordered by Mansfield’s predecessor in August, when she nullified a 1996 contest after concluding that an illegal campaign fund-raising scheme by Carey aides may have given him enough money to narrowly defeat Hoffa.