Robin Hayes, the former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, was pardoned by President Trump in his last full day in office.
Hayes was sentenced last year to a year’s probation and fined for his role in one of the state’s largest public corruption scandals. He pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Investigators say Hayes was part of a scheme by Durham billionaire businessman Greg Lindberg to bribe insurance commissioner Mike Causey. Lindberg allegedly believed that one of Causey’s officials was unfairly scrutinizing his businesses.
After being approached by Lindberg, Causey went to the FBI. He agreed to wear a wire.
In the scheme, Hayes said he would help funnel up to $2 million in campaign contributions to Causey by routing the money through the state Republican Party.
Hayes was also North Carolina’s 8th District congressman from 1999 to 2009.
The White House said North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and other members of the state’s congressional delegation “strongly supported” a pardon for Hayes.
There were other people pardoned with local connections.
Patrick Lee Swisher, who started a Charlotte-based cleaning franchise in the 1980s, was also pardoned, with the support of Republican Congressman Dan Bishop. He had been convicted of tax fraud and making false statements roughly two decades ago.
The president also pardoned Carl Andrews Boggs of Waxhaw, who is the president of Boggs Paving. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to charges stemming from illegally using disadvantaged businesses to get government-funded construction contracts.
