By Mary Manning (contact)

Fri, Nov 7, 2008 (10:31 a.m.)

A Las Vegas woman who threatened to kill two federal labor relations board attorneys in charge of litigating cases against her company has been convicted of making threats against a federal employee and witness tampering.

After a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Roger L. Hunt, 53-year-old Lori Irish was convicted Thursday of five counts of threats against a federal employee, two counts of threats made in interstate commerce and one count of witness tampering, said U.S. Attorney Greg Brower of Nevada.

In November and December of 2007 and April 2008, Irish made menacing telephone calls to two National Labor Relations Board attorneys, threatening to harm them and kill them, according to court records and evidence presented at trial.

The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that administers the laws governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector.

Employees working for Irish's company, Advanced Architectural Metals, Inc., in Las Vegas, filed complaints with the board claiming, among other things, that Irish failed to bargain with unions pursuant to their collective bargaining agreements and that the employees were threatened with discharge if they communicated with the unions.

Irish also made several telephone calls to other NLRB staff threatening to kill one of the NLRB attorneys. In December 2007 Irish told one of her employees that she would fire him and kill him if he did not testify falsely at a National Labor Relations Board proceeding, trial evidence showed.

Irish is in custody and scheduled for sentencing at 9 a.m. Feb. 20. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of threats against a federal employee, up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of threats made in interstate commerce, and up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the witness tampering count.