Editor’s note: This statement was sent to rrspin.com from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. For the complete story follow this link: http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/8672583/
United States Attorney George E.B. Holding commented today on the guilty plea of Michael F. Easley in North Carolina Superior Court:
“When federal authorities investigate corruption allegations involving state officials, it is important that we cooperate with state prosecutors and investigators, rather than compete with them. That has always been our office’s policy.
“When there are corruption allegations, we investigate them thoroughly, analyze the current status of applicable federal law, and then apply the principles of federal prosecution to decide whether to propose an indictment to the grand jury. As stated in the our letter that became part of the state court file today, these principles include whether the potential federal charges are supported by enough admissible evidence to obtain and sustain a conviction, whether the accused person should be subjected to multiple prosecutions, and whether federal charges would promote cooperation with state prosecutors.
“After weighing all these factors and consulting closely with Special Prosecutor Kenerly, we have decided to decline federal prosecution of former Governor Easley, and bring to a close the federal investigation of him. We have written a letter to Mr. Easley’s counsel to this effect, and that letter was today made part of the state court file.
“It is no cause for celebration that a former Governor of North Carolina has been convicted of a felony related to his service as Governor, but it does signify that North Carolina is taking seriously the enforcement of its campaign finance laws. This ends a sad chapter in North Carolina history. But North Carolinians are strong and will overcome this tarnishing or our reputation.
“Whenever potential federal violations are implicated, we will continue to partner with our state counterparts to root out public corruption in our state.
We would like to thank the FBI, the IRS-CID, and the SBI for their capable and through work on this matter, and also Special Prosecutor William Kenerly for his professional handling of the matter.”
“The Special Agents of the State Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, and the IRS are to be commended for the professional and thorough manner in which this case was investigated. The collaborative work of these agencies was essential in this investigation,” said SBI Director Greg McLeod.
“This outcome was brought about as a result of partnerships between federal, state and local law enforcement authorities. More importantly, we received help from the public. We who are public servants work for you and we need your help to hold us accountable.”
The SBI encourages people to continue to come forward with information regarding corruption and to contact its Raleigh office at 919-380-4500 or our main office at 704-377-9200, said Owen D. Harris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.
