Yesterday, Greg Lindberg was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after prosecutors described his conduct as “one of the biggest insurance frauds in history.” But to understand why this case still matters in North Carolina, you have to understand who was hurt — and what was allegedly corrupted along the way.
This was not some victimless white-collar crime.
Thousands of people invested retirement savings and annuities with Lindberg-controlled insurance companies believing their money would be there when they needed it. Instead, according to federal prosecutors, billions of dollars were diverted through a web of affiliated companies while policyholders spent years trapped in legal and financial limbo.
Prosecutors said that roughly 30,000 victims died before they could fully recover their money.
Think about that for a second.
These were retirees. Widows. Families counting on annuity payments to cover medical bills, prescriptions, assisted living, or simply to retire with dignity. Many spent years wondering whether the savings they worked their entire lives for would disappear.
According to reporting from InsuranceNewsNet, investigators said Lindberg “diverted vast sums of money from his North Carolina-based insurance companies to fund a lavish lifestyle and personal business interests.” Federal prosecutors said the fraud involved approximately $2 billion.
And while the fraud case moved forward, Lindberg was twice convicted in federal court in connection with a scheme to bribe North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey in exchange for favorable regulatory treatment. Prosecutors alleged Lindberg offered approximately $2 million in campaign contributions and related political support in an effort to influence oversight of his insurance companies.
Causey wore a wire for the FBI. Conversations were recorded. Federal juries convicted Lindberg after hearing the evidence.
Now another major issue hangs over the case: the possibility of a presidential pardon.
Lindberg has reportedly mounted an aggressive campaign to secure clemency from President Trump, hiring politically connected lobbyists and Trump allies to advocate on his behalf. According to the News & Observer, Lindberg even hired Keith Schiller — Trump’s former longtime bodyguard and former director of Oval Office operations — as part of that effort.
The pardon push carries added significance because Trump previously pardoned former Congressman and former North Carolina Republican Party Chair Robin Hayes, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the same bribery investigation involving Lindberg and Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.
But as InsuranceNewsNet noted after yesterday’s sentencing:
“Lindberg’s legal troubles might not be over. Wiley Nickel, all but certain to be elected as the next district attorney for Wake County, N.C., took to social media to announce that he will seek state criminal charges against Lindberg.”
The publication then added:
“That could be significant as Lindberg continues an aggressive campaign for a presidential pardon. North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have publicly urged the president to deny this request.”
And more importantly, support for possible state accountability has become bipartisan.
Early on last year, Senator Thom Tillis and I were opponents in a U.S. Senate race. We disagree on many issues but yesterday, Tillis publicly supported possible state charges, saying:
“If state laws were broken, state prosecutors should pursue the case wherever the evidence leads.” - Senator Thom Tillis
That matters.
Because this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or independent, no one should believe that political influence, money, or connections puts someone above the law.
And presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes. They do not apply to state crimes. They do not erase North Carolina’s independent authority to enforce state law when state institutions, state regulators, and North Carolina citizens were allegedly harmed.
All of this points to a larger principle: North Carolina has its own laws, its own courts, and its own responsibility to determine whether our state’s interests have been fully vindicated. That’s why the Wake County District Attorney’s Office matters.
The federal government prosecutes federal crimes. But the allegations in this case involved attempts to bribe North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, corrupt public decision-making in our state, and conduct that affected thousands of North Carolina citizens and policyholders.
The people of this state deserve to know whether every appropriate avenue of accountability under North Carolina law has been fully examined.
That’s why I issued the following statement yesterday:
“The federal case against Greg Lindberg is not the end of this matter. When I take office as Wake County District Attorney on January 1st, I’ll launch an investigation into possible state criminal charges related to this case.
The federal convictions established serious efforts to corrupt public decision-making in North Carolina and influence state regulators for private gain. North Carolina has its own laws, its own courts, and its own responsibility to hold people accountable when our laws are broken.
The people of this State deserve to know whether North Carolina’s interests have been fully vindicated. If the facts and the law support further action, my office will act immediately.
No federal action can limit North Carolina’s independent authority to enforce state law. The rule of law still matters here.”
This case was about more than money.
It was about whether wealth and political influence can overpower the public institutions that are supposed to protect ordinary people.
North Carolinians deserve to know that our laws apply equally — especially when retirees, working families, and the integrity of state government was put at risk.
- Wiley Nickel
PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY WILEY FOR WAKE
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