SBI investigating NC Treasurer Dale Folwell’s use of state vehicles
State officials are investigating Treasurer Dale Folwell’s use of state-owned vehicles, according to Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman.
Freeman confirmed to The News & Observer on Wednesday that the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting at her request an investigation into Folwell’s use of state vehicles.
In a statement, Freeman said that state law requires that “evidence uncovered during a routine audit which may amount to the misuse of state property be reported to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.”
“When this occurs, it is important that the SBI exercise due diligence in determining whether there has in fact been misappropriation of state resources,” Freeman said.
“As is customary upon receipt of this information from an agency, the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting at my request an investigation into the use of state vehicles by the State Treasurer,” she said. “As with all cases involving public officials, it is important that the public be able to trust that these sorts of matters are appropriately scrutinized. We are at the beginning of what is a standard review.”
The investigation into Folwell’s use of state vehicles was first reported Wednesday evening by WRAL.
“We appreciate the media getting these details out because we have been asking for information and clarity for nearly a year,” Folwell said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We have provided pages of documentation throughout the course of this review. We look forward to continuing to cooperate with the Department of Motor Fleet Management to satisfactorily resolve this issue.”
“I am the treasurer all the time and known for transparency,” he said. “I am always thinking about how to do things better and more efficiently on behalf of taxpayers, which includes the use of the state car.”
Folwell has served since 2017 as treasurer, a statewide elected position in which he serves as the state’s chief financial officer, and runs a department in charge of the state’s pension and health care plans for state employees, and state investments.
A former state lawmaker, Folwell declined to run for reelection this year, opting instead to run for the Republican nomination for governor and losing to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
State vehicles, which are maintained by the Department of Administration’s Division of Motor Fleet Management, are assigned to certain elected officials and state employees for official use.
Former State Auditor Beth Wood pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run misdemeanor charge last year after crashing her state-owned vehicle into a parked car while leaving a holiday party, then pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of misusing her state vehicle.
A Wake County grand jury had indicted Wood after an eight-month investigation into her use of state cars assigned to her before and after that December 2022 hit-and-run incident in downtown Raleigh.
The indictment alleged that over the course of two years, the Democratic auditor used a state-owned car for private errands like hair and dental appointments, and to go to shopping centers and spas.
Under state law, misusing a permanently assigned state vehicle is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
This story was originally published June 19, 2024 at 5:56 PM.
