Ex-NC Gov Easley’s aide charged with tax evasion

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – An ex-aide to former North Carolina Gov.
Mike Easley who already faces 51 corruption-related charges has
also been indicted for tax evasion.

A superseding indictment filed Thursday adds six charges against
Ruffin Poole, including three counts of income tax evasion. The
indictment says Poole filed returns knowing that he had generated
more income than he listed in 2005 through 2007.

Poole was expected in court late Thursday afternoon for
arraignment hearing. He was accused in January of 51 felony counts
of taking trips and gifts and making money off of coastal
developments while he helped hasten them through the state
permitting process.

Judge Terrence Boyle also may rule on a motion by Poole’s lawyer
to delay the scheduled April 26 trial until August.

THE INDICTMENT:

SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT RETURNED AS TO CHARLES RUFFIN POOLE

RALEIGH – United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced
that today a Federal Grand Jury returned a 57-Count Superseding
Criminal Indictment charging CHARLES RUFFIN POOLE, 38, of Raleigh,
North Carolina, with extortion under color of official right, in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951; bribery
concerning programs receiving federal funds, in violation of Title
18, United States Code, Section 666(a)(1)(B); use of the mail and
facilities in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1952(a)(1)&(3);
honest services mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States
Code, Sections 1341 and 1346; money laundering, in violation of
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(a)(1)(B)(I); monetary
transactions in criminally derived property, in violation of Title
18, United States Code, Section 1957; and income tax evasion, in
violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.
According to the Indictment, from 2001 to 2009, POOLE served
as Personal Assistant and Special Counsel to the Governor of North
Carolina.

The original Indictment, returned January 21, 2010, contained
51 counts. The Superseding Indictment added six new counts: (1)
three counts of using facilities in interstate commerce in aid of
racketeering; and (2) three counts of income tax evasion.
The maximum penalty for extortion under the color of official
right is up to 20 years imprisonment followed by up to three years
of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum
penalty for each of the bribery charges is up to 10 years
imprisonment followed by up to three years supervised release and
a fine of up to $250,000. For each charge of use of the mail or
facilities in interstate commerce in aid of racketeering, the
maximum penalty is up to five years imprisonment followed by three
years supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. For each
charge of honest services mail fraud, the maximum penalty is up to
20 years imprisonment followed by up to three years supervised
release and a fine of up to $250,000. For each charge of money
laundering, the maximum penalty is up to 20 years imprisonment
followed by up to three years supervised release and a fine of up
to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the
transaction, whichever is greater. For each charge of monetary
transactions in criminally derived property, the maximum penalty is
up to 10 years imprisonment followed by up to three years
supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount
of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction.
For each charge of tax evasion, the maximum penalty is up to five
years imprisonment, together with the cost of prosecution, followed
by up to three years supervised release and a fine of up to
$250,000.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has
committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and
unless proven guilty in court.

It is important to note that POOLE is the only individual
charged in the Superseding Indictment returned by the Grand Jury
today, and it does not allege wrongdoing by any other person.
Investigation of this case is being conducted by the State
Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the
Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations Division. This
case is being handled by the Office’s Economic Crimes Section, with
First Assistant United States Attorney John Stuart Bruce and
Assistant United States Attorney Dennis Duffy assigned as
prosecutors.

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