Convicted political megadonor Greg Lindberg made a rare and dramatic appearance Thursday in a Wake County courthouse, where he sought to remove a judge from a civil case involving Lindberg and his former insurance empire.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, shackled at the ankles, Lindberg demanded that Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley recuse himself from the case, saying the judge harbored a personal vendetta against him. Shirley refused, defending himself as fair and saying Lindberg's evidence consisted of nothing more than speculation and hearsay.
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The showdown came days after Lindberg accused the judge of unethical and criminal behavior in court filings. Lindberg represented himself after his lawyers quit.
Lindberg was once North Carolina’s biggest political donor, before being indicted on wire fraud and bribery charges. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to a $2 billion money laundering scheme involving his former insurance empire. Lindberg’s companies are trying to claw back funds they say he stole to fund an extravagant lifestyle of private jets, mansions, a yacht and high-level political access.
In January, Shirley ordered Lindberg and his remaining businesses to repay more than $500 million, WRAL reported. Shirley suggested that was the real reason Lindberg is seeking his recusal.
"What Mr. Lindberg is trying to do is re-write the history of this case," Shirley said, while also noting Thursday that Lindberg is actively seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump that could prevent him from having to pay up.
Lindberg is being held in jail in Gaston County awaiting sentencing in the money-laundering case. Meanwhile, he’s trying to stave off efforts to force him to repay some of those funds, or to be held behind bars for even longer.
“I've done 16 months in the Gaston County jail, in the murder block,” Lindberg said. “I did 21 months in a federal prison. Who knows how many more months or years I'll be incarcerated.”
Lindberg, who once owned the most expensive home in Raleigh, reflected several times Thursday on his new living conditions.
"I'm humbly wearing an orange jumpsuit, in shackles, sitting in a 72 square-foot cell in the Gaston County jail, in the murder block," he said.
'I don't dislike you'
Thursday’s hearing was the first time the two men have met in person in a case that has been winding through the court system for years. Lindberg has accused Shirley of lying to his probation officer, of harboring a personal vendetta against him and of violating ethical rules by speaking privately with lawyers for his opponents.
Shirley denied those claims. He said Thursday that he had consulted with the state’s Judicial Standards Division, which is in charge of helping judges with ethical questions, and he expressed skepticism about the validity of Lindberg’s accusations of bias. Shirley also noted that he has had rulings overturned twice in this case by the state Court of Appeals, each time because the appeals court ruled he hadn’t come down strongly enough on Lindberg.
Shirley assured Lindberg he doesn’t hold any personal animus against him based on the allegations he’s fighting. He noted his lengthy career as a judge has given him plenty of experience in making decisions without letting his emotions play a role.
“I don’t dislike you,” Shirley told Lindberg in court. “I don’t know you. I have had people who have done far more heinous things than you can even imagine, who have threatened my life.”
Shirley became frustrated with Lindberg at one point Thursday, though, after the ex-billionaire had repeatedly turned around to address the audience in the courtroom. Shirley told him to behave less theatrically.
Lindberg said his lawyers quit because they’re scared Shirley will punish them professionally for representing him, and he made a show of asking whether any of the other lawyers in the courtroom would take his case so he wouldn’t have to represent himself anymore.
“Anyone that wants to represent me, please raise your hand,” Lindberg told the audience. “Takers? No hands.”
After Shirley’s admonition, Lindberg apologized for not knowing the ins and outs of proper legal procedure. “I don't have a law degree,” he said. “This is the first hearing I've ever done. That's because, your honor, with all due respect, your anger has driven away” his previous lawyers.
Lindberg said Shirley has threatened to sanction or go after the law licenses of everyone who has represented him in this case. Shirley said that’s false.
Lindberg also said one of the main pieces of evidence for Shirley’s bias is a statement Shirley made that he wanted to see Lindberg in jail. Shirley pointed out on Thursday that he only made that statement after ordering Lindberg to be arrested for contempt of court, for failing to appear at a prior hearing he was supposed to have attended.
“If I issue an order for someone's arrest, isn't it implicit in that statement that I am ordering that they are being taken to jail?” Shirley countered.
Lindberg acknowledged that’s true but said it was the tone of Shirley’s voice, ordering him jailed “with pleasure, with a positive, enthusiastic demeanor,” he said.
“This is an adversarial comment from a judge,” Lindberg continued. “Typically an order for incarceration isn't a happy day for a judge. It's something a judge has to do. But it's not a happy day.”