Former FCA Executive Pleads Guilty in UAW Corruption Scheme
A former financial analyst at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC (FCA) has pleaded guilty in a scheme to pay off UAW officials, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch.
Jerome Durden, 61, of Rochester, Michigan, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on December 12, 2017.
Durden admitted to preparing and filing numerous false tax returns on behalf of the tax-exempt UAW-Chrysler National Training Center and on behalf of a purported charity called the Leave the Light On Foundation as part of a conspiracy to obstruct and impair the Internal Revenue Service.
According to court records, Durden and his co-conspirators used the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center as a conduit to conceal over a million dollars in prohibited payments and things of value paid to UAW Vice President General Holiefield and other UAW officials.
Durden acknowledged that the false tax returns concealed compensation paid to Holiefield and others and caused over $1,000,000 in tax losses to the United States.
“Mr. Durden’s criminal conduct was part of a broader pattern of dishonesty and collusion among those implicated in this investigation,” said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI.
Durden is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12, 2017, at 9:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lemisch commended the outstanding work of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards in conducting a comprehensive criminal investigation into labor corruption and tax fraud activities involving a vital sector of the local and national economy.
Jerome Durden, 61, of Rochester, Michigan, was charged with conspiracy to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service, conceal over a million dollars in prohibited payments, and cause over $1,000,000 in tax losses to the United States.
Defendant: Jerome Durden
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service, conceal over a million dollars in prohibited payments, and cause over $1,000,000 in tax losses to the United States.
City and State: Rochester, Michigan
Exact Date: December 12, 2017
Sentence or Outcome: Guilty plea, sentencing scheduled for December 12, 2017
Dollar Amounts: Over $1,000,000 in tax losses to the United States, over $4.5 million in NTC funds diverted
Key Facts
- State: Michigan
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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