In May I
laid out for Spectator
readers
how former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, thanks to his
powerful position, received: a break on a land deal; free air
travel; free use of SUVs for himself and his family; and a
high-paying job for his wife at NC State where she did
next-to-nothing. Today the first indictment from a grand jury
was
handed down in the federal investigation — a massive
51-count, 64-pager accusing his right-hand
legal counsel, Ruffin Poole:
The 64-page indictment alleges that Poole, 37, of Raleigh,
extorted money from key Easley supporters and took
corresponding action on environmental permits. It charges him
with bribery, use of the mail in aid of racketeering, and says
his actions deprived North Carolina citizens of his “honest
services.”
The indictment says that Poole was a silent investor in
development projects pushed by developers in Wilmington and
Charlotte, making tens of thousands of dollars in profits on
projects that he influenced in his government work. In his
capacity as Easley’s legal counsel, he pressed government
officials for action on environmental permits on the projects
he invested in, the charges say.
Easley, a Democrat, received
a $137,000 discount on a coastal lot in North Carolina,
undoubtedly thanks to one of these deals. Next!
