SBI opens probe of Perdue campaign flights

By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into Gov. Beverly Perdue’s campaign flights.

SBI spokeswoman Noelle Talley said Friday that the bureau’s professional standards division began the investigation at the request of Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby.

Willoughby said he made a request last week to investigate payment of air travel for the campaign. He said he felt there were unanswered questions after a State Board of Elections hearing review.

The elections board fined Perdue’s campaign $30,000 last month for failing to report more than 40 private flights. A majority on the panel found no deliberate effort to break the law.

Perdue campaign spokesman Marc Farinella said they expect the SBI will find that nobody did anything intentionally wrong.

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