CHICAGO, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- A former senior official at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been accused of buying limited-edition luxury fountain pens with money earmarked for training workers.
Alphons Iacobelli, who was in charge of labor relations, bought in 2013 two Montblanc pens, which cost 35,700 U.S. dollars each, with budget for a United Auto Workers (UAW) training center, the Detroit News reported on Thursday.
The price for such a pen is higher than the median household income in Detroit.
The pen features gold fittings, a blue sapphire embedded in the clip, a mother-of-pearl cap ringed by three diamonds. The luxury pen with only 50 available worldwide was said to honor President Abraham Lincoln.
The U.S. federal agents believe Alphons Iacobelli is at the center of a scandal involving individuals at the automaker and the UAW?siphoning millions from an employee training fund.
Several people have been charged as the investigation deepens.
