The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain, following allegations that he pressured a high-ranking union official into offering benefits to his fiancee and sister.

According to The Guardian, a court-appointed monitor had previously released a report that claimed Fain had improperly used his authority to get a financial bonus for his fiancée, as well as worker's compensation for his sister. When UAW vice-president Rich Boyer reportedly refused that request, Fain allegedly had Boyer removed from his role as chief negotiator with Stellantis NV.

The monitor — a George W. Bush appointee who oversaw 2008's Wall Street bailout — was tagged to oversee UAW as part of a 2021 consent decree, after a union corruption scandal that led to 17 convictions for embezzlement, bribery and kickbacks. In a statement responding to the monitor's report, Fain claimed that Boyer had weaponized the monitor to "steal the upcoming UAW election."

"He knows he can't win a fair fight because he has no real platform to run on," Fain asserted, adding that he didn't want Boyer leading negotiations with Stellantis "because he wasn't doing a good job for our members."

The federal monitor's report deferred any potential disciplinary action pending further review, while the scope of the DOJ's own probe remains unclear.

Fain has served as UAW's president since 2023. Shortly after assuming the role, Fain led a month-long autoworker strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, marking the first trilateral strike against the three companies in the union's history. Fain has also pushed for the union to be more politically active, with the union voting in 2023 to divest from Israeli bonds in response to the war in Gaza.