Sergio Marchionne (Photo by: Agência Brasil)
Sergio Marchionne (Photo by: Agência Brasil)
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV CEO Sergio Marchionne has not been charged. And he showed up to talk to the feds without a subpoena.
But he has hired a criminal defense lawyer and has been questioned by federal investigators about a $4.5 million corruption scandal involving the automaker’s training center, Robert Snell of The Detroit News reports.
Hiring a criminal defense attorney doesn't necessarily indicate that a person has done something wrong. In a criminal probe, it may simply be seen as a wise precaution.
Snell reports:
Marchionne was questioned during a private meeting in July 2016 with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in downtown Detroit, sources familiar with the investigation said. The Italian auto executive was escorted to the meeting by his white-collar, criminal defense lawyer, William Jeffress of the Washington, D.C., law firm Baker Botts.
Marchionne, 65, has not been charged with a crime during an ongoing federal grand jury investigation that has expanded in recent weeks to include a member of General Motors Co.’s board and United Auto Workers training centers funded by all three Detroit automakers.
The scandal emerged publicly in July. That is when former Fiat Chrysler Vice President Alphons Iacobelli was indicted and accused of funneling kickbacks to UAW officials.
