Martin J. Forde was born in County Mayo, Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1951.
In 1987, Martin Forde was indicted for extortion and soliciting bribes, along with Johnny O'Connor of Local Union 608.
[1] Martin was eventually found guilty of these charges,[2] and was given a suspended sentence on August 31, 1990 on condition of retiring from union office.
Local Union 608 subsequently provided Martin with a Lincoln Towncar as a retirement present.
Martin continued to exert influence over Local Union 608 policy and politics via his son Mike Forde.