Former UAW Execs Convicted Of Corruption Get Out Of Prison Early

DETROIT (AP) — Two former presidents of the United Auto Workers, each convicted of corruption at the union, were released early from prison after less than a year in custody, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

FILE - In this July 16, 2019, file photo, Gary Jones, United Auto Workers President, speaks during the opening of their contract talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Auburn Hills, Mich. Jones was sentenced to 28 months in prison for scheming to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars in union dues. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman in Detroit sentenced the 64-year-old Jones on Thursday, June 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Gary Jones, who was sentenced to 28 months, was released to home confinement in June after roughly nine months in prison, The Detroit News reported. He must wear an electronic tether in Corsicana, Texas.

His predecessor at the UAW, Dennis Williams of Corona, California, was released from prison in March after nine months. He had been sentenced to nearly two years in custody.

Jones and Williams acknowledged they had used union funds for golf trips, expensive meals and stays at California villas.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has discretion to release some people early under a 2018 law. Separately, Jones and Williams would have trimmed their sentences with good behavior.

"Gary Jones was treated the same way as any other federal inmate who met the requirements for release to home confinement under the First Step Act," Jones attorney Bruce Maffeo said. "BOP made its decision based on a number of factors, including Jones' age, general health, lack of any prior criminal record and his good behavior while incarcerated."

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said it wasn't told that Jones and Williams were going to be placed on home confinement.

UAW members from across the U.S. are meeting in Detroit next week to nominate candidates for union leadership. A national election will be held in the fall, a direct result of the government's corruption investigation.

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