The House Select Committee unanimously passed a motion to find probable cause and proceed with the adoption of specific charges against Rep. Wright.

William Hart, Senior Deputy Attorney General presents eight counts:

  1. Wright sought to fraudulently obtain funding for Community’s Health Foundation by soliciting Torlen Wade with DHHS to write and mail a letter endorsing the Foundation’s project and committing $150,000 in DHHS funds. At the time, Wright was chair of an appropriation committee that had control over Wade’s budget.
  2. Wright presented the Torlen Wade letter to Coastal Federal Bank as a factor in applying for a $150,000 loan. Wright knew the letter was false, the commitment of funds from DHHS was a lie, and the money from DHHS would not be forthcoming.
  3. Wright used money that was intended for a charitable contribution for his own personal use. He took the $2,400 AstraZeneca donation and deposited it in his personal bank account. At the time, Wright was on the Appropriations Committee and Health Committees.
  4. Wright converted money that was intended for a charitable contribution for his own personal use. He took the $5,000 Anheuser-Busch check and deposited it in his personal bank account.
  5. Same as 3 and 4 with the $1,500 from AT&T going not to the charitable organization, Community’s Health Foundation as he promised, but into his personal bank account. He was on the Public Utility Committee at this time.
  6. Wright obtained a $10,000 line of credit for a charitable organization, Community’s Health Foundation. He obtained funds three times based on that line of credit totaling $9,910.27 that he converted to his own use and deposited the funds in his personal account. The Foundation did not know of or approve this.
  7. Wright failed to report over 300 contributions with approximately $185,000 received as campaign contributions between Jan. 1, 2000 and Jan. 31, 2007.
  8. Wright solicited financial institutions and corporations for loans and donations to Community’s Health Foundation and converted money loaned or contributed to that charitable organization to his own personal use. As part of a pattern of this conduct, he solicited a false document and used that false document to solicit loans.

The committee, on consideration of each charge, voted unanimously that there is probable cause that Wright’s conduct was unlawful or illegal. Rep. Wright will be notified of the charges against him.

Wright has until close of business on Jan.25, 2008 to respond to the charges.