The admission of guilt continues a sharp decline for one of the union`s most powerful leaders. In six months, Pearson moved from his service on the UAW board in power and from monitoring the union`s largest geographic area to a criminal target whose apartment and offices were searched by federal agents. He was placed on leave after being charged in September and resigned two months later. „Mr. Pearson is the 12th UAW official to plead guilty following a criminal investigation that has clearly shown that corruption has become systemic within this organization,“ said Steven D`Antuono, lord of the FBI`s Detroit office. „The FBI and our law enforcement partners are determined to do what is necessary to make this great organization their original goal, to serve hard-working union families, and not enrich the powerful.“ Pearson is the 12th defendant to plead guilty in the ongoing criminal investigation into illegal payments by ACF officials to UAW officials and corruption within the UAW. The following individuals have already pleaded guilty and been convicted: former FCA Vice President in charge of employee relations Alphons Iacobelli (66 months in prison), former FCA financial analyst Jerome Durden (15 months in prison) ), former director of the FCA`s personnel relations department Michael Brown (12 months in prison), former senior UAW official Virdell King (60 days in prison) , Keith Mickens (12 months in prison), Nancy A. Johnson (12 months in prison), Monica Morgan, the widow of UAW Vice President General Holiefield (18 months in prison) and former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell (15 months in prison). In addition, the following UAW officials have pleaded guilty and are awaiting conviction: former UAW Vice-President Joseph Ashton, former senior UAW official Michael Grimes and former senior UAW official Jeffrey „Paycheck“ Pietrzyk. Former UAW official Edward „Nick“ Robinson has been charged in criminal charges, and his case is still pending.
The plea also alleges that UAW funds were used to pay for private villas to friends of UAW Official D, identified by the media as Amy Loasching, an employee of Williams. Pearson was also responsible for delivering spirits and cigars for Williams and his wife. Vance Pearson, a former director of United Auto Worker`s Region 5 and a former member of the UAW`s International Executive Board, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with other UAW officials to embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars in UAW royalties and engage in further brawls, U.S. Attorney General Matthew Schneider announced. The plea agreement also shows that Mr. Williams, another former U.S. President. A.W., played a more active role in the system than was previously disclosed and explained that he was inciting Mr. Pearson and Mr. Jones to use union funds for expenses paid to him and other public servants. Another spokesman quoted Pearson as telling Edward Robinson, another of Jones` lieutenants, that he would have a „burner phone“ so they could speak freely without the risk of listening. Robinson will face court on February 18 and plead guilty.
In a March 2019 conversation, cited in Robinson`s indictment and probably acquired by a wiretap protocol, „UAW Official A“ (Jones) Robinson stated that he had „burned the recordings“ related to the embezzlement system. Investigators are investigating the possibility of arson in a fire that broke out in July of the same year at Solidarnosc House, the union`s headquarters. The union issued the following statement on Pearson`s guilty plea: Vance Pearson, 58, of St. Charles, Missouri, pleaded guilty to embezzling uAW charges and conspiring to use an interstate trading plant between 2010 and September 2019 to support crime. From June 2018 to September 2019, Pearson was Director of Region 5 of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Workers of America („UAW“).
