Feds get 10th conviction in union corruption probe

DETROIT — A former union employee has pleaded guilty to accepting more than $120,000 in bribes and kickbacks from contractors with business at a United Auto Workers training center.

Jeff Pietrzyk's plea agreement calls for federal prosecutors in Detroit to seek no more than two years and three months in prison.

Pietrzyk of Grand Island, New York, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy.

He's the 10th person to be convicted in an investigation of corruption inside the UAW and the auto industry.

Pietrzyk was accused of taking payments to steer contracts to vendors for watches, jackets and backpacks for union members.

He was an administrative assistant who worked closely with Joe Ashton, now retired as a UAW vice president.

The government said 58,000 watches are still in storage five years later.