Virdell King, Labor Corruption, Michigan 2023

Former UAW Official Charged with Labor Corruption in Michigan

Virdell King, a 65-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, has been charged with participating in a multi-year conspiracy to accept money and things of value from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US (FCA) between 2011 and 2015.

According to court documents, King was one of the senior UAW officials responsible for negotiating and administering the national collective bargaining agreements with FCA on behalf of tens of thousands of UAW members. He was also a member of the UAW’s National Negotiating Committees in 2011 and 2015 that negotiated the collective bargaining agreements between the UAW and FCA.

The superseding information charges King with accepting thousands of dollars in designer shoes, clothing, jewelry, luggage and other personal items, all of which were purchased using credit cards issued through the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center. FCA Vice President Alphons Iacobelli allegedly told senior UAW officials that they could use their NTC credit cards to make personal purchases, stating “if you see something you want, feel free to buy it.”

Beyond the purchases for himself, the superseding information charges King with making over $40,000 of additional purchases between December of 2012 and August of 2015 at the direction and for the benefit of other senior UAW officials. Those additional purchases included a shotgun, golf equipment, luggage, concert tickets, theme park tickets and other personal items. All of the credit card purchases were paid for with funds provided by FCA.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel L. Lemisch commended the outstanding work of the US Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and Office of Labor-Management Standards, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations for continuing to conduct a comprehensive criminal investigation into labor corruption activities involving a vital sector of the local community.

James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, said, “This alleged conspiracy among several union and corporate officials to abuse their positions for personal gains at the expense of hard-working Chrysler employees is highly alarming.” Ian Burg, Director of the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) Detroit-Milwaukee District Office, added, “OLMS remains committed to fulfilling its mission of protecting the rights of union members and maintains a zero tolerance policy regarding financial misconduct by union officials.”

The FBI’s David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division, stated, “Years of fraud and corruption within a select group of the FCA and UAW hierarchy continue to be eroded through the diligence and collaboration of law enforcement in the Detroit metropolitan area.”

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