US authorities on Thursday indicted a second former boss of the powerful UAW auto union in a major corruption investigation that has plagued the organization for several years.
Denis Williams is being sued for colluding with Gary Jones, his successor indicted in March, and other union officials, for embezzling more than $ 1 million between 2010 and 2019, a Michigan attorney general said in a statement.
“UAW officials have been funded hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses” such as premium liquor bottles, meals, cigars, golf equipment and multi-month stays in villas private in Palm Springs, the document said.
They demanded reimbursement on presentation of expense reports under the pretext of conferences on leadership and training.
Mr Williams, 67, is the 15th person to be charged in the case that came to light in July 2018. He led the union from 2014 to 2018 and served as its treasurer between 2010 and 2014.
His successor Gary Jones, who pleaded guilty, agreed to cooperate with the authorities. Having become the president of the UAW in 2018, he was abruptly pushed towards the exit at the end of 2019 to limit the impact of the scandal on the union.