A ton of scandalous things seem to be going on in N.C. politics — most of them swirling around Jim Black. He was sentenced to prison last week on a public corruption charge. We crunched some of the fraud factors to see what you get when you combine money and politics. (Hint: common denominator = power + greed.)
Former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black
• Charged with obstruction of justice and bribery for accepting $25,000 from chiropractors to advance legislative agenda.
• The verdict: 5 years, $50,000 fine
Former State Representative Michael Decker
• Accepted a $50,000 bribe from Black to switch parties and help him keep his position as Speaker.
• The verdict: 4 years, $50,000 fine
Former State Lottery Commissioner Kevin Geddings
• Appointed to his position by Black, charged with fraud for accepting $250,000 in payments from a lottery vendor for a local contract.
• The verdict: 4 years, $25,000 fine
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2007.
