NCGOP Chairman Indicted By Grand Jury On Bribery Charges

CHARLOTTE, NC — A federal grand jury has indicted North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes, along with three others on public corruption and bribery charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Hayes, 73 and also a former member of Congress, surrendered to authorities Tuesday and made his first appearance before a judge in a federal courtroom in Charlotte, according to reports.

According to DOJ, Hayes, along with three others, were indicted as part of an FBI investigation into a bribery scheme. Also arrested were:

• Greg E. Lindberg, 48, of Durham. Lindberg is founder and chairman of Eli Global LLC and owner of Global Bankers Insurance Group (GBIG).
• John D. Gray, 68, of Chapel Hill. Gray is a consultant for Lindberg.
• John V. Palermo, 63, of Pittsboro. Palermo is an Eli Global executive and chairman of a Chatham County political party.

All four were charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and bribery concerning programs receiving federal money, as well as aiding and abetting. Hayes was also charged with three counts of lying to FBI investigators, DOJ said.

“The indictment unsealed today outlines a brazen bribery scheme in which Greg Lindberg and his co-conspirators allegedly offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions in exchange for official action that would benefit Lindberg’s business interests,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “Bribery of public officials at any level of government undermines confidence in our political system.”

According to DOJ, Hayes and the three other defendants attempted to bribe Republican Mike Causey, the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance, by funneling $240,000 in campaign contributions made to NCGOP to Causey “for the purpose of causing the Commissioner to
take official action favorable to Lindberg’s company, GBIG,” DOJ said.

The men promised Causey millions in exchange for removing NCDOI’s senior deputy commissioner, who oversaw the regulation and periodic examination of Lindberg’s company, DOJ said. Causey, however, reported them to authorities.

“These men crossed the line from fundraising to felonies when they devised a plan to use their connections to a political party to attempt to influence the operations and policies of the North Carolina Department of Insurance,” Special Agent Charge Strong said in a statement.