Tom Coughlin (Wal-Mart)

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Thomas M. "Tom" Coughlin (born 1949) is a former vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and confidant of founder Sam Walton.

He began his career with the retailer in 1978 in the company’s security division, and was named vice chairman of Wal-Mart and elected to the Wal-Mart Board of Directors in April of 2003. He stepped down December 6, 2004.

As of July 2005, he is the subject of a United States Department of Justice investigation, as well as a lawsuit by Wal-Mart, and is being reviewed by a federal grand jury over misuse of company gift cards. Among the charges are that Coughlin paid bribes to trade union officials not to organize at Wal-Mart locations and to identify pro-union Wal-Mart workers.

He has pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return related to embezzlement and theft from Wal-Mart while serving as a member of its board.

Coughlin was sentenced on August 11, 2006 at Fort Smith Arkansas to 27 months in home detention after pleading guilty to stealing money, merchandise and gift cards from the retailer.

Coughlin avoided any prison detention, but was ordered to serve five years probation, and pay a $50,000 fine and about $411,000 in restitution to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Internal Revenue Service^[1]^[2].

A physician stated in court that Coughlin was in poor health, suffering from diabetes, cardiac disease, sleep apnea, arterial blockage, and other ailments.

Coughlin could have been sentenced to up to 28 years in prison and $1.35 million in fines after he pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud and tax evasion.