Former NC GOP head pleads guilty to lying in bribery case
Source: Associated Press
Tom Foreman Jr. and Emery P. Dalesio, Associated Press
Updated 1:40 pm CDT, Wednesday, October 2, 2019
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The former chairman of North Carolina’s Republican Party admitted Wednesday that he broke the law by lying to federal agents about his role in an alleged effort to bribe the state’s top insurance regulator to help a major GOP donor.
Robin Hayes, 74, pleaded guilty to making a false statement in August 2018 to FBI agents conducting the bribery investigation. Hayes, a former congressman, was initially also charged with conspiracy and bribery. His plea deal included the promise that he would help prosecutors build a case against co-defendants and potentially testify against them.
Prosecutors agreed that Hayes could avoid any time behind bars, but a judge could sentence him to no more than six months in prison. The government agreed to recommend a sentence “at the low end” of that range, along with monetary penalties, prosecutors said.
. . .
In an indictment unsealed in April, prosecutors said Hayes agreed to use the state Republican Party as a conduit for filtering $250,000 to state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey’s reelection campaign. Prosecutors said Hayes agreed to funnel the money to Causey at the request of insurance magnate Greg Lindberg and an associate. Lindberg proposed moving $250,000 through the party’s coffers to Causey each quarter as part of his plan to provide the insurance regulator with $2 million in contributions for his expected 2020 reelection campaign, prosecutors said.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Former-NC-GOP-head-pleads-guilty-to-lying-in-14486071.php
