Gary Jones

Ex-UAW President Dennis Williams Charged with Embezzlement

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

The fall of Dennis Williams seemed as inevitable as it was anticlimactic. Yesterday, August 27, Williams, who was president of the United Auto Workers during 2014-18, was charged in Detroit federal court with conspiracy to embezzle funds from the 400,000-member union for his own use, including $56,000 for housing and luxury travel. His immediate successor, Gary Jones, had pleaded guilty in June to embezzlement, racketeering and tax fraud related to his diversion of over $1 million in UAW funds. As Williams allegedly conspired with Jones in some of these thefts, he will have a hard time convincing a jury of his innocence. More than a dozen union officials and auto executives thus far have pleaded guilty as part of an ongoing probe of the union by the FBI, the IRS and the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.

Dennis Williams, now 67, was elected president… Read More ➡

Ex-UAW Chieftain Gary Jones Pleads Guilty to Corruption, Tax Evasion

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

The Gary Jones era at the United Auto Workers was brief. But if Jones wants a brief prison sentence, he’ll be at the mercy of prosecutors. Two days ago, June 3, Jones, UAW president until last November, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to embezzlement, racketeering and tax fraud related to his role in the diversion of between $1 million and $1.5 million in union funds toward personal luxuries such as vacations, golf outings and cigars, and their coverup. He is set for sentencing on October 6. Thus far, more than a dozen union and auto industry officials have been convicted following an ongoing probe by the FBI, the IRS and the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General. A federal takeover of the 400,000-member UAW remains a possibility.

Union Corruption Update has been following this phase of the probe … Read More ➡

Former UAW President Gary Jones Charged with $1M+ Embezzlement

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

If a government takeover of the United Auto Workers looked like a possibility a few days ago, that possibility just became more real. Yesterday, March 5, Gary Jones (in photo), former president of the United Auto Workers, was charged in an information in Detroit federal court for his role in the embezzlement of well over $1 million in funds from the union, enabling himself and other union leaders to splurge on indulgences unrelated to UAW business. Forced from his post in November, Jones is the biggest catch yet in a union-auto industry probe that so far has netted over a dozen guilty pleas. As this is an information, not an indictment, a plea deal is virtually certain. The actions follow a probe by the FBI, the IRS and the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.

Union Corruption Update has covered this case since it … Read More ➡

Feds Cite Former UAW Presidents for Racketeering; File New Charges against Ex-Regional Boss

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

It’s official: The United Auto Workers has been declared a racket. On January 6, recently departed UAW President Gary Jones (in photo) and his immediate predecessor, Dennis Williams, were cited, albeit under assumed names, in Detroit federal court as participants in a racketeering enterprise. The designation was part of a new charge against Vance Pearson, former director of a major regional affiliate and a member of the union’s international executive board, of embezzlement conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider had been hinting at such action these last few months. Jones had resigned his post under pressure in November. The actions follow a joint probe by the FBI, the IRS and the Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Inspector General.

Union Corruption Update more than once has covered this scandal, the details of which provide a hard look into how the Detroit-based union, with around 400,000 active members, … Read More ➡

UAW Chieftain Gary Jones Resigns as GM Department Scandal Widens

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

Gary Jones’ tenure as head of the United Auto Workers was brief. But he and the union are preparing for what may be a long ordeal. On November 20, Jones, beset by a slew of federal corruption charges involving extensive illegal payoffs exacted from vendors by ex-officials of the UAW’s General Motors Department, abruptly resigned as president. Nine days later, he ended his union membership. The actions occurred shortly after the UAW executive board filed paperwork to expel him and a regional director, Vance Pearson. While Jones has not been accused of anything (yet), his home was one of several sites raided in August by federal agents. In a related event, GM last month filed a racketeering suit against Fiat Chrysler on grounds that the latter misused the collective bargaining process to facilitate a merger.

If these were normal times, the 400,000-member, Detroit-based United Auto Workers might be … Read More ➡

Feds Raid UAW Presidents’ Homes, Conference Center; Charge Ex-Union Official

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

A few weeks ago, U.S. Attorney for Eastern Michigan Matthew Schneider said after the sentencing of a United Auto Workers official, “We’re not done.” He wasn’t kidding. This Wednesday, FBI and IRS agents in four states raided the homes of UAW President Gary Jones (in photo) and former UAW President Dennis Williams, plus the union’s rural Michigan conference retreat/training center and a couple of other sites in search of evidence of corruption. The actions follow the convictions of several UAW and Chrysler officials for their roles in a bribery and embezzlement scheme, and charges announced this August 14 against now-retired union senior official Michael Grimes for receiving the bulk of nearly $2 million in vendor kickbacks. He pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Wednesday.

Union Corruption Update has covered the United Auto Workers-Fiat Chrysler scandal since it broke wide open in July 2017. The focus … Read More ➡

UAW Vice President Charged in Chrysler Scandal; Pleads Guilty

Posted on by Carl Horowitz

For a while, Norwood Jewell managed to avoid prosecution in the Fiat Chrysler-United Auto Workers pay-to-play scandal that so far has produced over a half-dozen convictions. But his run of good luck has ended. Yesterday, April 2, Jewell, a UAW vice president until last year, pleaded guilty in Detroit federal court to illegally accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from Chrysler executives via the employer-funded National Training Center. He had been charged on March 18. His offenses were part of a wide-ranging probe into a years-long pattern of bribery and embezzlement involving an estimated $4.5 million in NTC funds. Jewell is set for sentencing in August. The latest charges loom especially significant given that the UAW’s current contract with Chrysler, General Motors and Ford expires in September.

Union Corruption Update has described this investigation on numerous occasions since the initial indictments came down in July 2017. Certain officials … Read More ➡