Page Six

We hear...THAT Immediately after former president and business manager of Local 608, John Greaney, plead guilty, business representatives Martin Devereaux, Maurice McGrath and Tom Costello arranged to meet at the Bronx office of Local 608, allegedly, to shred union documents.

Sources say the three representatives allegedly tried to get into a cabinet which was ordered locked by Local 608 President Joseph Firth.

The representatives demanded office assistant Laurie to open the locked cabinet, she refused as per her instructions by Firth.

Costello then allegedly threatened her; she called Firth, who called Supervisor Frank Spencer, who called Review Officer, Dennis Walsh.

Walsh’s office is in White Plains, he arrived at the Bronx office before the three men left. When asked by Walsh why they wanted access to the locked file cabinet, all three men gave conflicting answers. Sources said the three business representatives were suspended.

District Council representatives were instructed to reply "no comment" to any inquires regarding this incident.

Greaney, 50, is the seventh and highest-ranking union official to cut a deal with the feds since a raft of indictments in August.

Sources say that in exchange for cooperating with the Government, Greaney will do little jail time; he will then be enrolled in the U.S. Marshals Witness Security Program, where he will be relocated and given a new identity.

Greaney would face 155 years in prison on charges, but prosecutors will ask for leniency if he fully cooperates - and helps them nail Forde and Hayes.

Greaney admitted that while he was President of Local 608, he received cash bribes from multiple contractors and shared the payments with other union officers, including his co-defendants Michael Forde,  the former Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the District Council and chairman of the benefit funds, and Brian Hayes, a former business agent and officer of Local 608. He also admitted to helping contractors cheat the union benefit funds and to depriving union members of his honest services.

Under the terms of his plea agreement with the Government, Greaney, will surrender to the U.S. Marshals on or before August 20, 2010, to begin serving jail time. Greaney is scheduled to be sentenced on December 17, 2010.