Former union official pleads guilty in corruption probe
DETROIT — A former labour leader pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to enrich himself and others by having Fiat Chrysler pay for meals, golf and other perks, although he tried to soften his conduct by claiming it was due to bad bookkeeping decisions.
Norwood Jewell, who suddenly retired last year as a vice-president at the United Auto Workers, is the highest-ranking labour official charged in a scheme to tap cash from a job training centre in Detroit that was financed exclusively by Fiat Chrysler, known as FCA.
Jewell, 61, became the eighth person to plead guilty. Former FCA executive Al Iacobelli is serving a 5 1/2-year prison sentence .