MEXICO CITY – There are embezzlements and then there are embezzlements.

Elba Esther Gordillo, leader of the powerful Mexican teachers union and known simply as “The Teacher,” was arrested in February 2013 for allegedly embezzling $200 million in members’ dues for her own personal use.

The New York Times reported:

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In the current case, the prosecutor, Jesus Murillo Karam, said in a televised statement that the arrest had stemmed from the suspicious transfer of $200 million from the National Union of Education Workers, which has 1.5 million members, into the private accounts of three individuals. He said Ms. Gordillo had then used the accounts, in American and Swiss banks, to pay for credit cards; two houses in Coronado, California near San Diego; unspecified art; plastic surgery; and other personal expenses.

 He said that the transactions occurred between 2008 and 2012, including the transfer of about $2.1 million to an account as a Neiman Marcus department store in San Diego between March 2009 and January 2012, and that as many as 80 union accounts were being examined for irregularities.

The only remaining question is how somebody can steal that much money without being noticed. Apparently the Mexican teachers union could use a little more financial oversight.

To read more installments of “The Other Labor History: What Kids Won’t Learn,” click here.