The State Board of Elections is expected to wrap up its inquiry into former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign committee and the N.C. Democratic Party today.
The board will likely decide whether to ask for charges related to four issues: a 2000 GMC Yukon SUV provided to Easley's campaign that did not appear in election reports; air travel provided by Easley fundraiser McQueen Campbell and others that did not appear in election reports; repairs to Easley's personal residence in Raleigh that were paid for by his campaign; and allegations that Easley donors were told to give to the N.C. Democratic Party, which would then turn over the money to Easley's campaigns.
Here's a look at each, and the potential charges against campaign officials, donors or Easley that the board could forward to the state for a criminal investigation:
GMC Yukon: Easley has admitted the vehicle did not appear on campaign finance reports, calling it an oversight. He has said it was used by his son for campaign work beginning in 2003, but no payments were made on the vehicle until this year. His son also drove the SUV for personal use. Possible charges: illegal business contribution, a misdemeanor; failure to report a campaign expenditure, a misdemeanor; knowingly filing a false campaign report, a felony.
Air travel: Easley has admitted that his campaign reports did not account for dozens of flights provided by Campbell, a private pilot. Others who provided flights did not testify at the hearing. Possible charges: illegal business contributions, a misdemeanor; failure to report campaign expenditures, a misdemeanor; receipt of contributions that exceeded legal limits, a misdemeanor; knowingly filing false campaign reports, a felony.
Home repair: Easley's campaign paid roughly $11,000 for what it called air travel that instead went toward fixing Easley's home, Campbell said. Campbell, who initially paid for the repairs, testified that Easley suggested he bill them as flights to get reimbursement from the campaign. Easley said that never happened and that he believed the money was to pay Campbell for air travel. Possible charges: knowingly filing false campaign reports, a felony; perjury, a felony.
Earmarking contributions: Internal Easley campaign documents and testimony from two major donors suggest a scheme to get around campaign contribution limits by steering big donations to the state Democratic Party, which would then quietly turn them over to the Easley campaign. Individual contributions are limited to $4,000 per election cycle, but parties can receive unlimited amounts. Possible charges: exceeding campaign contribution limits, a misdemeanor; knowingly filing false campaign reports, a felony.
