ers of the New York mafia. Even more disturbing however was that Hoffa allowed many convicted felons to run large locals and control the use of the local’s treasury. The Teamsters from their origin were always rumored to be affiliated with the mafia. With many of their former leaders having gone to jail for abusing the power of presidency within the union, the government as well as the A.F.L.-CIO continually scruinized the actions of the Teamsters. The internal corruption within the Teamsters was so rampant, the A.F.L.- CIO disaffiliated themselves from the Teamsters when the government began to investigate Hoffa’s actions as president of the Teamsters. The clean image Hoffa portrayed on the outside was far different from the actual structure of the union. The Teamsters gained over $7 million in 1960 from dues. Much was put to good use in the form of legitimate investments in stocks and bonds. However, with the careful maneuvering of money, Hoffa was able to funnel money into personal interests. The money from dues was really only a small poercentage of Hoffa’s bag of wealth. His real power lay in the use of Teamsters pension fund and the underground investments that were possible. Hoffa illegally used the Teamsters pension fund to invest in Sun Valley. Sun Valley was a large parcel of land that supposedly lay in Florida. The Teamsters, more importantly Hoffa, placed $200,000 in a bank account where it laid stagnant. In return, the bank did not charge the Teamsters intrest on the money they borrowed. Hoffa, heeded the advice of his advisees and bought Sun Valley at near cost. The parcels were then split up and sold back to union members who paid a little under market price for land they had never seen. When members ventured to Florida to see their new vacation or even retirement area, they saw nothing. The whole operation was a fundraiser for Hoffa and his counselors’. The truth of the Teamste...
