A federal judge is postponing the bribery trial of a North Carolina insurance magnate and two associates until two weeks before next year's primary elections.
U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. on Friday ordered delayed until February the trial for former political mega-donor Greg Lindberg, political consultant John Gray and John Palermo, who worked for Lindberg's investment company Eli Global LLC.
Former North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes was indicted with the men, but the former congressman this month pleaded guilty of lying to FBI agents and agreed to help prosecutors.
Lindberg, Gray and Palermo are charged with trying to bribe the state's top insurance regulator with up to $2 million in campaign funds in return for reassigning a worker looking into Lindberg's insurance companies.