Wake DA Reopens Pay-to-Play Investigation of Video Sweepstakes Donors

"Some members of the five-member Board of Elections expressed frustrations that campaign finance laws were insufficient to cover what might be other criminal violations. They noted records showed millions of dollars moving through Burns’ personal and business accounts, and subsequent payments and political contributions in North Carolina." N&O, yesterday

Kim Strach, Executive Director at the NC State Board of Elections (SBOE), spent two years exonerating North Carolina politicians who took $274,000 from Chase Burns and his wife, the convicted owners of sweepstakes gambling operations. Much of that money went to Governor McCrory and other Republican leaders who could have theoretically helped out Burns by overturning NC's ban on sweepstakes gambling. (The SBOE looked at a total of some $700,000 in
questionable spending" by Burns in 2012.) The politicians took the money, but they didn't overturn the ban.

"Though the elections board did not refer the report for prosecution, members made it clear that the board’s scope and legal tools were limited and that there could be room for a deeper look."

The Wake District Attorney has decided to take that deeper look:

...Strach said her investigation was unable to determine if illegal money from Burns flowed into North Carolina. State investigators were not able to interview Burns, nor obtain his federal tax records.

Some members of the five-member Board of Elections expressed frustrations that campaign finance laws were insufficient to cover what might be other criminal violations. They noted records showed millions of dollars moving through Burns’ personal and business accounts, and subsequent payments and political contributions in North Carolina.

"Millions."

Kim Strach's investigation did collect one political pelt: SBOE member Paul Foley was forced to resign in disgrace after it was revealed that his Winston-Salem law firm also represented Chase Burns. So there's that.