Former House Speaker Jim Black accepted a $500,000 check from a lobbyist in 2000, deposited the check into his campaign account and then misrepresented the transaction as a personal loan, federal prosecutors say.
The potentially damaging revelation was disclosed for the first time in court papers filed Monday, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Prosecutors argue Black's actions broke N.C. campaign finance laws, though they don't specify which ones. The laws limit contributions to candidates to $4,000 per election and require strict reporting of contributions and loans, including loan sources.
Black could face additional charges, prosecutors appear to imply, noting that they learned of the transactions from state investigators independently of the plea agreement Black signed in February that granted him limited immunity. Or he could face a longer prison sentence for the crimes he has already pleaded guilty to.
"As a matter of law, each of these transactions should have been disclosed in his filings," prosecutors write in their 19-page memorandum.
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Re: Cashing the check
9:00 this morning!...so wish I could be there!