Colon Willoughby

Black gets minimum state sentence

bniolet — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:48:22 -0400

The prosecution of former state House Speaker Jim Black wound to a close Thursday, when he received the minimum 11- to 14- month state sentence for bribery after having paid a $1 million fine.

But Black, who is already serving a 63-month sentence in federal prison, will serve his state sentence concurrently and will therefore likely not spend any additional time in a prison cell, Rob Christensen reports.

"He is an old man who is sick and who will stay in prison, perhaps the rest of his life," said Wake County Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens, in explaining his leniency. "I am under the impression that his wife is ill and may die while he is in prison."

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby called the sentence "appropriate."

Black, 74, who is an optometrist, was sentenced to federal prison in 2007 after getting caught up in a fund raising scandal. The Mecklenburg Democrat had been one of the most powerful men in state government, able to strongly influence what bills became law.

More after the jump.

Lobbyist cleared, Blue Cross says

markjohnson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:57:14 -0400

A spokesman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield says the SBI and Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby have cleared one of the insurance company's lobbyists in a alleged attempted bribery case handed over by the Legislative Ethics Commission.

Ken Wright, a veteran lobbyist for the insurer, was accused of trying to bribe Rep. Fred Steen, a Rowan County Republican in May. Ethics committee leaders declared, without naming either Wright or Steen, that Steen had done the right thing and the case had been referred to law enforcement officials.

Blue Cross spokesman Lew Borman said Willoughby and the State Bureau of Investigation looked into the matter and found no evidence of a crime.

"We're grateful to the SBI and the Wake County District Attorney for their thorough, swift and professional investigation," Borman said. "Ken is a valuable member of the Blue Cross family. We're pleased, but not surprised, and the matter is closed."

More after the jump.

Mike Easley Jr. interning at courthouse

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:53:38 -0500

Michael Easley Jr. has been spending some of his time at the Wake County Courthouse as of late, shuffling through traffic tickets and some misdemeanor cases as part of an internship he has with the district attorney's office.

The younger Easley, who is a rising third-year attends the law school at UNC-Chapel Hill, is one five of North Carolina law students taking part of the unpaid internship, says Colon Willoughby, Wake County’s longtime District Attorney.

Other students come from law schools at Elon, North Carolina Central and Campbell, Sarah Ovaska reports.

He even successfully tried a minor drug case, under the supervision of another attorney, Willoughby said.

Maybe it'll mean Michael Jr., who spends two half-days a week at the district attorney’s office, will follow his dad’s footsteps and become a prosecutor.

Much of Willoughby's current staff dabbled in the intern program when they were in law school, Willoughby says.

Willoughby not interested in U.S. attorney

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:18:13 -0500

Colon Willoughby says he's not interested in being a U.S. attorney.

The Wake County district attorney said "some folks" had approached him about a possible appointment as a federal prosecutor for the Raleigh-based Eastern District.

But he relayed to his staff Thursday that he would be staying put.

"At this point, I think I'm happy right where I am," he told Dome.

Willoughby, who was first elected district attorney in 1986, said he plans to run again next year.

As the prosecutor for the state capital, Willoughby has worked closely with federal prosecutors on corruption cases involving former Speaker Jim Black and Rep. Thomas Wright.

A Democrat, he had been mentioned by several people knowledgeable with the U.S. attorney's office as a potential appointment under President-elect Barack Obama.

Names in the mix for U.S. attorney?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:19:38 -0500

Who might Kay Hagan recommend for U.S. attorney?

With the three federal prosecutor jobs opening up sometime next year, the Democratic senator-elect will have a chance to name their replacements.

In talks with local lawyers, Dome has heard a few names come up:

Dan Blue. The former speaker of the state House and current legislator has strong ties to the Obama campaign in North Carolina and would be a familiar name.

Joe Cheshire. A noted defense attorney best known for his work on the Duke lacrosse case, he would be a wild-card pick who would bring a high profile to the job.

Benjamin R. David. The district attorney for New Hanover and Pender counties previously worked for white shoe law firm Kilpatrick Stockton.

Hampton Dellinger. The former deputy attorney general and special counsel to Gov. Mike Easley came in second in his bid for the lieutenant governor nomination this year.

Dewey Hudson. The district attorney in Onslow County was briefly in the national news earlier this year over the case of suspected killer Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean.

Daniel Johnson. The former assistant district attorney in Wake County is an honored veteran who took on an unsuccessful campaign against Rep. Patrick McHenry.

Abe Jones. The longtime Wake County Superior Court judge and former Wake County commissioner once worked in the U.S. attorney's office.

Ripley Rand. A former prosecutor, the son of Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand has served as an appointed Superior Court judge since 2002, though he lost a 2006 election in Wake County.

Scott Thomas. The district attorney for Carteret, Craven and Pamlico counties served in the state Senate from 2000 to 2005 alongside Hagan.

Colon Willoughby. The Wake County district attorney is well-connected in Raleigh and has worked closely with federal prosecutors, most recently on the Jim Black and Thomas Wright cases.

A spokeswoman for Hagan said recently that she is focusing on building her Senate staff right now in order to avoid disruption to constituent services.

McCullough: U.S. court experience a plus

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:43:27 -0500

Doug McCullough says federal court experience is a plus for any potential U.S. attorney.

The state Appeals Court judge, who served as an interim U.S. attorney in 1987 and again in 1993, said that any potential appointees ideally would have experience in the federal court system.

"A Democratic alumnus of the office would probably be the leading contender," said McCullough, who is a registered Republican. "If not, somebody who clerked for a federal judge or who works in the federal courts in private practice."

Alternately, he said that another strong candidate would be a local prosecutor, especially someone like Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby, who has worked with the U.S. attorney's office on state corruption cases.

McCullough said one barrier to finding good applicants is a one-year limitation that U.S. attorneys have on working opposite the Department of Justice after their term expires.

He said that many qualified private attorneys don't want to give up their ability to practice in the courts they know best for such a long period of time. As a result, some aim for judgeships or positions in academia afterward, while others avoid a U.S. attorney post entirely.

Update: An earlier version of this post misstated the nature of the ban.

Former U.S. attorneys are not allowed to represent clients directly dealing with the U.S. Department of Justice for one year after leaving their post, although they can advise a client as part of a team of lawyers.

They also have a two-year ban on dealing with any cases that began while they were a U.S. attorney and a lifetime ban on any cases they handled.

Lawyers react to Wright verdict

DavidIngram — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:53:49 -0400

Wake District Attorney Colon Willoughby says he wanted to bring Thomas Wright's case full circle.

Speaking to reporters after a jury found the former lawmaker guilty of obstruction of justice, Willoughby was asked how the public benefited from the trial if Wright received no extra prison time.

He replied that Wright's campaign finance irregularities were the original reason investigators started looking into the Wilmington Democrat. Only then did they find other reasons to charge him with fraud, which Wright was convicted of in April.

"I think that was the original reason that these cases came about," Willoughby said of the obstruction of justice charge.

Wright's attorney Doug Harris told reporters that Judge Donald Stephens took away any chance for a "not guilty" verdict.

"It was impossible to win based on the instructions the jury was given," he said.

Harris also renewed his argument that the charge of obstruction of justice didn't fit Wright's crimes related to campaign finances.

"He should have been charged with that misdemeanor, and he should have pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor," Harris said. "You must charge according to what the crime is."

Willoughby called for tougher penalties for campaign finance violations.

Christian won't face charges for portrait

bkrueger — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:28:40 -0400

The SBI has ended its probe into the purchase of portrait by former state mental hospital director Patsy Christian without action.

The investigation was requested by the state Department of Health and Human Services in June following reports in The News & Observer about a painting of herself that Christian commissioned from J. Lee Harris, a hospital nurse who sidelined as an artist, reports Michael Biesecker.

The artwork was paid for using vending machine revenue from John Umstead Hospital that the state budget manual says should be spent to benefit patients.

Following public uproar about the portrait, Christian resigned her position as chief executive officer of Central Regional Hospital in Butner and was reassigned to a newly created position within the department at 95 percent of her former salary.

DHHS Secretary Dempsey Benton ordered that the portrait not hang in the new hospital for which it was commissioned and that state money paid for the artwork be recovered. Harris refunded the $572 she was paid for the "executive portrait" and its gilded frame.

Though state law explicitly forbids the awarding of state service contracts to state employees, Erik Hooks, an assistant SBI director, wrote in an Aug. 14 letter that he had concluded "no further inquiry by the SBI is necessary at this time."

More after the jump.

Wright trial heads to closing arguments

DavidIngram — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:29:19 -0400

Both the prosecution and the defense have rested in Thomas Wright's second criminal trial.

Closing arguments are set to begin Tuesday afternoon in Wake Superior Court, to be followed by instructions to the jury and jury deliberations.

The Wilmington Democrat and former House member is charged with obstruction of justice for failing to disclose more than $100,000 in campaign contributions. A conviction could add at least four months to his prison sentence on three fraud convictions.

Wright's attorney Doug Harris presented no evidence. He told reporters Monday after court that he had seen nothing from prosecutors he wanted to respond to.

Wake District Attorney Colon Willoughby called four witnesses: two investigators and two people from Wilmington who had worked with Wright's campaign finances.

Following the testimony, Judge Donald Stephens ruled against a motion by Harris to dismiss the case.

Elections official: Wright cashed check

bniolet — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:38:10 -0400

A Wake County jury heard evidence Tuesday that former state Rep. Thomas Wright secretly transferred tens of thousands of dollars from his campaign accounts to himself over several years.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby introduced into evidence several charts detailing the Wilmington Democrat's campaign transactions, David Ingram reports.

One chart showed that 91 percent of the transfers Wright made to himself were not disclosed on campaign finance reports. Wright is charged with obstruction of justice for what prosecutors say was his failure to disclose more than $100,000 in campaign contributions.

Kim Strach, deputy director of the State Board of Elections, testified that in one case Wright simply cashed a check from a political action committee for himself. She added that he has yet to file any amendments to his campaign finance reports.

Under from cross examination by Wright's attorney, Doug Harris of Greensboro, Strach agreed that Wright did not take any steps to obstruct her investigation other than once providing an incorrect name for his campaign treasurer.

Harris told the jury in his opening statement that Wright's behavior doesn't fit the charge.

In April, a jury convicted Wright in Wake Superior Court on three separate charges related to financial improprieties. He is due to be released in May 2015, though a conviction for obstruction of justice could add at least four months to his sentence.