TAKAAKI IWABU - tiwabu@newsobserver.com
Ruffin Poole walks out from the Terry Sanford Federal Building on Thursday with his lawyer.
RALEIGH -- A federal grand jury added tax evasion and other charges Thursday to the corruption case against Ruffin Poole, a key aide to former Gov. Mike Easley.
The new charges add dozens of years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the potential penalties hanging over Poole's head.
The charges, contained in a new version of the indictment against Poole, were released shortly before Poole appeared in a federal courtroom in Raleigh. Poole was expected to plead not guilty at the hearing, but U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle postponed the proceeding, because Poole and his attorney had just learned of the new allegations.
Poole is now charged with 57 counts, all related to receiving money, trips and gifts from developers while he was also taking official action to ensure environmental permits were processed for the developers, according to the indictment.
His attorney, Joseph Zeszotarski Jr., has filed motions to dismiss the case, claiming the charges don't hold up.
The tax evasion charges accuse Poole of hiding income from the Internal Revenue Service in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The grand jury charged that Poole did not report investment payments from developers. Poole had made about $55,000 in profit on two Eastern North Carolina developments named Cannonsgate and Summerhouse.
The new indictment also replaces two earlier bribery charges against Poole with two counts of accepting "corrupt payments" from the developers. In one of his motions, Zeszotarski had argued that the bribery charges were inappropriate.
In addition, the indictment adds three new charges related to e-mail messages between Poole and Wilmington developer Lanny Wilson that the indictment says enabled lawbreaking. The specific charges are "use of facilities in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering."
Poole, 38, was dropped off at the courthouse and swiftly made it inside the building, catching the gaggle of reporters and photographers waiting for him off guard. As Poole left, the photographers were ready. Poole and Zeszotarski said nothing as reporters followed Poole for a block once he left the courthouse.
Still unsettled is when a trial would be held. Zeszotarski has argued that he requires more time to review volumes of information collected by federal investigators who have been looking into Easley's administration. In a news release announcing the new charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office noted that the indictment "does not allege wrongdoing by any other person."
Prosecutors have said the case should go to a jury in the spring and that the charges against Poole don't require delay.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney John Bruce said Thursday that the new charges shouldn't push the trial back.
"We think this prosecution and the larger investigation it's part of need to move forward and get some resolution," Bruce told Boyle.
Zeszotarski said the new tax charges will require him to consult an expert in accounting and certified public accountants will be hard to hire in the middle of tax season.
"It's the middle of March. I can't even get my own CPA to call me back," Zeszotarski said. "At this time of year, CPAs just aren't available."
Federal prosecutors have until Monday to respond to Zeszotarski's dismissal motions. Boyle said he would decide when the case should go to trial after he sees those filings.
Staff writer J. Andrew Curliss and researcher Brooke Cain contributed to this report.
