Wearing wires in meetings with United Auto Workers leaders put a convicted former union official “at risk,” according to a federal court filing from Edward “Nick” Robinson’s lawyer Wednesday requesting that he serve probation instead of time in jail.
Robinson, an aide to former UAW President Gary Jones, cooperated with federal investigators to record meetings and phone conversations, according to the memorandum confirming a November 2019 Detroit News report.
The contents of those recordings were used as evidence in a years-long probe that has resulted in 15 convictions, including two former UAW presidents, and prompted a settlement between the union and the federal government that includes six years of oversight and the opportunity for members to institute direct elections of leaders.