Monica Morgan-Holiefield (Facebook photo)
It's federal prison for Monica Morgan-Holiefield. The widow of United Auto Workers Vice President General Holiefield drew an 18-month sentence for filing a false tax return, in connection with her role in diverting money from a training fund maintained by the UAW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Robert Snell writes at The Detroit News:
The scandal has aired damning allegations about Fiat Chrysler and the UAW conspiring to violate the Labor Management Relations Act, which prohibits employers or those working for them from paying, lending or delivering money or other valuables to officers or employees of labor organizations — and makes it illegal for labor leaders to accept such items.
The sentencing Friday illustrated the gulf between prosecutors and Morgan-Holiefield's defense lawyer, Steve Fishman. He wanted her to serve a probationary sentence for a single tax crime, while the government wanted Borman to consider the underlying conduct and illegal benefits they say she enjoyed. The benefits include more than $32,000 worth of flights, a $43,300 pool and $260,000 to pay off her mortgage. . . .
Morgan-Holiefield benefited "handsomely" from illegal payments from Fiat Chrysler to her late husband and used shell companies to hide the income and criminal activity, prosecutors said. The payments were part of a broader effort by Fiat Chrysler to keep UAW leaders "fat, dumb and happy" and wring concessions favoring the automaker, according to the government.
The defendant wore black at sentencing and showed no emotion, Snell reports. She's sent to an undisclosed federal facility.
