(Former Governor) Easley (D) convicted of felony; state, federal probes

[ncrainbowgrrl]

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/11/24/822886/easley-convicted-of-felony-state.html

Former Gov. Mike Easley was convicted Tuesday of knowingly filing a false campaign report, becoming the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy federal investigation.

Easley, a Democrat who was governor from 2001 to 2009, appeared before Wake County Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III in a role unfamiliar to a former crusading prosecutor and two-term attorney general.

<snip>

The N&O has reported on a wide range of issues tied to Easley in the past two years, articles that spurred the probes and detailed how Easley benefitted from free air travel; how he was involved in creating a position for his wife at N.C. State University; how his family members had been driving cars they didn't own; and how he received a $137,000 discount on a lot at a coastal development called Cannonsgate at the height of the real estate boom. (The Carolina Journal and Charlotte Observer had previously reported that Easley got a good deal on the lot.)

<snip>

The case quickly affected Easley in other ways. He was fingerprinted and had a mug shot taken. As a felon, he is required to submit a DNA sample. An avid hunter, Easley loses the right to carry a firearm.

[struggle4progress]

1. ... Easley entered an Alford plea Tuesday morning ... In an Alford plea, a defendant pleads guilty,

while maintaining his or her innocence, and admits it is in his or her best interest to take the plea deal because there is sufficient evidence that could find him or her guilty. Prosecutor Bill Kenerly, a Republican, said campaign finance records and information gathered by State Bureau of Investigation agents turned up no other illegal activities ...
Posted: 10:49 p.m. Tuesday
Updated: 11:47 p.m. Tuesday
Easley sentence not enough, N.C. GOP chair says
http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/8678644/

... "Our campaigns over the years have made financial errors," Easley said. "We've tried to correct them when we could. However, as a candidate, I have to take responsibility for what the campaign does. The buck has to stop somewhere and it stops with me." The plea is specifically tied to a helicopter flight Easley took in October 2006 with longtime ally McQueen Campbell, the former chairman of the board of trustees at N.C. State University. It is valued at $1,600 ...
Posted on Tuesday, 11.23.10
Former N.C. Gov. Easley pleads guilty to campaign charges
By J. Andrew Curliss
Raleigh News & Observer
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/23/1939545/former-nc-gov-easley-agrees-to.html

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley was convicted Tuesday of a low-level felony and agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for an improperly filed campaign finance report, the lone accusation to emerge after sweeping investigations into his personal and professional life. A former prosecutor himself, Easley portrayed the matter during a court hearing as little more than a paperwork error ...
Former NC Gov. Easley guilty of 1 finance charge
(AP) – 2 days ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jO04YHyxOkAjr3_jCzWfbMnVL6ag?docId=dec4670561f24515a233b2a894459eae

[ncrainbowgrrl]

2. a $1k fine...

nice to be rich enough to afford the lawyer that would get that punishment...

:eyes:

[struggle4progress]

3. I don't know how wealthy they are