M. Scott Edwards today pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice in connection with his fund-raising for a North Carolina optometrist PAC. The N&O reports:
The case stemmed from an investigation last year by the state elections board, which found that optometrists funneled money to Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, and other candidates through the optometry group’s PAC. But the PAC did not disclose its role as a conduit, elections officials alleged.
Many of the optometrists testified before the elections board that they left the payee line blank on the checks they wrote, allowing them to be filled in later by Black and others. Some of those checks were directed to former state Rep. Michael Decker of Forsyth County after Decker switched his political party and kept Black in power in 2003, records and testimony have shown.
Decker, recall, earlier pleaded guilty to accepting a $50,000 bribe to switch parties and back Black for speaker. Decker has been cooperating with prosecutors in the investigation of the ongoing criminal conspiracy that passes for state government in North Carolina. Decker previously named Black as a co-conspirator in his endeavors.
With Edwards’ plea, all eyes now turn to Black. Edwards joins Decker, Kevin Geddings, and Meredith Norris as Black cronies caught up in legal troubles stemming from Black’s service to the Down East kleptocracy in Raleigh.
