Don Beason is being investigated for using the consulting loophole.
As previously noted, the lobbyists must tell the Secretary of State how much they are being paid to argue a special interest's cause before the legislature under state law.
But they do not have to disclose any secondary contracts for political consulting or other non-lobbying work.
Once the state's top lobbyist, Beason often broke up his contracts this way, possibly underreporting his pay from BB&T, IBM and Progress Energy.
His contract with BB&T was exactly one-tenth what he earned from Catawba County during a similar period. (Contracts with government agencies would not benefit from the loophole because they are public anyway.)
A special agent with the Secretary of State said in a court filing that the Albemarle Mental Health Center also underreported its payments.
"The Center was being directed by Donald R. Beason to report a significantly reduced amount and not the actual amount of compensation," agent John Lynch wrote in a court filing.
An audit of the mental health center first showed the discrepancy.
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Re: The consulting loophole, revisited
Who writes the state laws? Legislators! And they protect their own.