GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina State Senator Fletcher Lee Hartsell, Jr. has been indicted on money laundering, wire fraud, and mail fraud charges.
The 69-year-old Concord native is charged specifically with five counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and six counts of money laundering, and will face the charges for the first time on Thursday, September 29, 2016.
He is accused of soliciting funds for his Hartsell State Senator Committee through mailings and interstate wires and misusing the funds for personal goods and services from 2007 to 2015.
Hartsell is further charged with hiding his misdeeds with false campaign filings mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to the North Carolina Board of Elections.
The money laundering charge stems from the directing of Hartsell State Senator Committee funds through his law firm, Hartsell & Williams, P.A., as well as through Equity Properties of Concord, LLC, a company he owns with his wife, to mask the misappropriation.
According to the indictment, Hartsell spent nearly $200, 000 on personal goods and services not related to the Hartsell State Senator Committee.
“Our campaign finance laws must be enforced in order to protect the integrity of the American democratic process. If you abuse the power granted to you as an elected official, the FBI will work tirelessly to ensure you are held accountable for your actions,” said John Strong, FBI’s Special Agent in Charge.
“Confidence in the integrity of our elected officials is essential and is at the heart of our democracy. To be elected to serve in public office is an unmistakable privilege, not an opportunity to fraudulently enrich oneself using a position of trust. IRS
Criminal Investigation Special Agents play a crucial role in unraveling complex schemes in service to the American taxpayer,” said Thomas J. Holloman, III, IRS-CI’s Special Agent in Charge.
Hartsell will face the charges for the first time on Thursday, September 29, 2016 in U.S. District Court in Greensboro. According to the United States Department of Justice, the Charges each carry a twenty-year maximum sentence and a $500,000 fine, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
