CHARLOTTE – Yesterday the news was that NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes planned to resign due to health reasons. Today that news has morphed considerably as word breaks that Hayes, along with Mega-Donor businessman Greg Lindberg and others, have been indicted by a federal gran jury for trying to bribe Republican NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.
Breaking: @NCGOP chairman Robin Hayes, Greg Lindberg and others have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to honest services wire fraud for attempting to bribe NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who is not charged #Ncpol #ncgov https://t.co/9SpVwfPNNY
— Nick Ochsner (@NickOchsnerWBTV) April 2, 2019
You might remember that Causey wore a wire for the FBI in their investigation into Lindberg and his relatively new found interest in supporting political campaigns. Causey captured Lindberg and Hayes discussing shifting around $250,000 from the NCGOP to Causey’s campaign in an apparent attempt to earn favored treatment from NC Department of Insurance Regulators.
From WBTV:
“NCGOP Chairman Robin Hayes, who spent a decade in Congress representing a district that stretched from the Charlotte area to Fayetteville, surrendered himself to authorities and made a first appearance at the US Courthouse in Charlotte on Tuesday.
The charges center around a wealthy Durham businessman named Greg Lindberg, who has been under the microscope of federal investigators for white collar crimes related to his business empire and, later, for contributions he made to politicians in North Carolina.
Hayes and Lindberg were both indicted Tuesday on charges related to honest services wire fraud for attempting to bribe NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. Causey is not being charged.[…]”
It seems Lindberg wanted to make sure he could maintain a cozy relationship with Causey as he had with former commissioner, now chair of the N.C. Democratic Party, Wayne Goodwin. Luckily for the State, Causey is a good guy. Unlucky for Lindberg, and Hayes, Causey has those pesky things called morals that interrupted their plans.
Read more from WBTV here. We’ll bring more to your attention as this story develops.
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