In August, federal prosecutors charged former United Auto Workers (UAW) boss Dennis Williams with conspiracy to embezzle union funds as part of its corruption investigation into the labor union. Now Williams has plead guilty to those charges, becoming the 15th person to be brought down in the FBI’s wide-reaching UAW probe.
Dennis Williams
According to The Detroit News, Williams plead guilty to the embezzlement charges while appearing in a videoconference on Wednesday. He was released on $10,000 bond, with a sentencing date set for January 25th, 2021.
Williams was a co-conspirator of fellow former UAW leader Gary Jones and worked with him to defraud union members out of millions of dollars in dues. Jones and his cohorts used union funds to purchase luxury goods like top-sheld alcohol, cigars and golf equipment and hid the tab under the bill for unrelated UAW events such as its conference in Palm Springs.
The Detroit News says Williams distanced himself from the alleged corruption during his hearing, only admitting to not pressing Jones enough when he asked to explain the irregular trip expenses.
“I knew in many cases such as golf and cigars, that there was no good-faith basis to think these expenses were for the benefit of our union,” Williams said while reading from a pre-prepared statement, as quoted by The Detroit News. “(Jones) simply told me everything was above board.”
“I made a deliberate and conscious decision not to press the matter, even though I strongly suspected that if I looked into how Gary Jones was funding those expenses, I would find union funds were being misused,” he added.
The original court filing against Williams indicated he actively benefitted from Jones’ decision to misappropriate union dues.
“While he was an officer of the UAW between 2013 and 2018, Dennis Williams accepted housing for himself in Palm Springs, California, housing for his friends in Palm Springs, California, golf clothing and other related merchandise, rounds of golf outside of the dates of UAW conferences, and certain meals, liquor, and cigars provided to him by co-conspirators Gary Jones,” the filing said.
Gary Jones
Williams became UAW president in 2014 and retired in 2018, at which point Jones moved into the role. Jones was charged earlier this year as part of the FBI probe and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3rd. The charges against him carry federal guidelines of 47 to 56 months behind bars.
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Comments
The UAW is rotten to the core and nobody should be surprised. These goons have been stealing money for decades upon decades.
Anyone who belongs to the Union should be allowed to opt out. This is a complete joke and they are basically theives taking money by force from the Union Members. Dissolve the UAW for good.
Anyone who belongs to the Union should fight to revert the UAW to a figting union which has only the wellbeing of the working class in mind and not that of the bosses. By this token thise burocratic “leaders” who work for their personal comfort first, and peace with the bosses to secure this, will be pushed aside since the workers’ struggle needs combative lesders, not sleepy ones.
Former UAW Boss Dennis Williams pleads guilty to embezzlement charges which is another demonstration of how absolute power corrupts absolutely.. never trust anyone who appears to be living beyond their means.
or a billionaire who pays $750 in taxes.
The same goes for a CEO that makes $20 plus million a year.
Money never earned just squeezed from the workers.
Amazing how these people can sleep at night.