Feds want to talk to auditor

State auditors could be making another round of appearances at the federal courthouse connected to the ongoing investigation of former Gov. Mike Easley as a federal grand jury meets in Raleigh this week.

A new federal subpoena asks for more information and possible appearances from staff, including current Democratic State Auditor Beth Wood, J. Andrew Curliss reports.

Among the details federal authorities seek from Wood, who took office in January, is whether she has been in any business ventures or took any kind of money or payments from the Easleys or several people connected to them.

Wood said through a spokesman that she has not been in any business ventures. She is reviewing campaign reports, but does not believe she got money personally or for her campaigns, either.

"She had asked both Easleys for help with her campaign just before and just after the primary, but to her knowledge got none other than the obligatory vocal support for the ticket," said spokesman Dennis Patterson.

Wood's office has not released an audit that reviewed the $170,000 salary paid to Mary Easley at N.C. State before she was fired in June.

Wood acknowledged in a previous interview that she had told her staff that one reason for not releasing the salary audit was that state Sen. Tony Rand, an influential Democrat from Fayetteville, would poke holes in it.

She said she did not speak with Rand about it, however, but was anticipating a response. Rand had represented Mary Easley when Wood's predecessor, Republican Les Merritt, audited her European travels and determined some expenses were questionable.

Investigators in the new subpoenas also asked for information about Mary Easley's trips to France, Estonia and Russia in 2007 and 2008. And they seek information about any contacts between Wood and elected officials.

Several people from the auditors office appeared at the grand jury in previous months.