Monica Morgan, widow of former UAW Vice President General Holiefield, was sentenced to 18 months in prison Friday for a tax crime as part of a federal corruption probe of misappropriated funds at a Chrysler-UAW training center. Morgan was also given one year of supervised release and a $25,000 fine.
Morgan, 55, was originally charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Labor Management Relations Act, three counts of falsifying a tax return and one count of failure to file a tax return. As part of a plea deal, she pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return on Feb. 6.
Federal prosecutors contend several Fiat Chrysler Automobiles employees and executives paid UAW representatives to influence union business. Government documents say officials siphoned money through the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center in Detroit and used false charitable donations and training center credit cards to buy luxury items. Prosecutors originally sought a 27-month prison sentence for Morgan's role in the case.
Holiefield led the union's negotiations with Chrysler in 2007 and 2011. He died in 2015 and Morgan was named in an indictment in July 2017 that accused the couple of receiving $1.2 million over at least five years from the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center.
Morgan was the first of seven charged and the first of six to plead guilty to corruption. Morgan has already paid $102,984 toward a $190,000 restitution bill.