Following prison sentences for two UAW presidents (Gary Jones and Dennis Williams) and corruption convictions for dozens of other UAW officials, federal prosecutors took the extraordinary step of sharing case evidence with an independent, court-appointed watchdog, who could very well turn up more union misconduct and seek internal charges within the UAW. In doing so, the feds aim to reform the UAW and guard against future corruption.
As wild as the above fraud scandal turned out to be, a newly unsealed indictment (out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York) is a doozy. The feds brought charges against 14 defendants (including the Colombo Family crime boss and several other family members) for a host of offenses, including labor racketeering. Within the Feds’ announcement, the Department of Justice alleges that the infamous mob family schemed to take over a New York-based labor union and the health-care benefit program while, in the process, extorting money that was earmarked for union members.
