Key dates in the investigation of North Carolina billionaire political donor
Here are key dates in the federal investigation of Durham business Greg Lindberg and his campaign donations to North Carolina politicians:
2008: Democrat Wayne Goodwin elected insurance commissioner.
2014: Entrepreneur Greg Lindberg, a California native, begins acquiring insurance companies, starting with Southland National Insurance (Alabama).
August 2014: Lindberg moves Southland to North Carolina and begins “replacing tens of millions of dollars of its bonds with loans to Lindberg companies.” (WSJ)
North Carolina DOI has agreed to let Lindberg-owned insurance companies invest up to 40 percent of their reserves in loans to other Lindberg-owned businesses. The standard, WSJ reports, is 10 percent.
2015-2016: Lindberg uses money from Southland to buy additional insurance companies and moves them to NC, operating the business as Global Bankers Insurance Group.
2016: Florida regulators move to suspend Southland from operating there, finding it to be “financially impaired.” (WSJ)
Early 2016, per WSJ: NC examiner sends Lindberg a letter telling him to outline a plan to reduce insurance company loans to his other businesses to the agreed-upon 40 percent limit.
February 2016: Lindberg holds fundraiser for Goodwin at his Durham estate. Lindberg bankrolls a political action committee called the N.C. Opportunity Committee, which produces pro-Goodwin commercials. Palermo is the group's treasurer, according to state records.
Feb. 8, 2016: Greg and Tisha Lindberg, records show, nearly max out their donations to Goodwin with $9,500.
Aug. 1, 2016: Greg Lindberg donates $50,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee, a group supporting Goodwin.
Sept. 2, 2016: Lindberg donates $40,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee.
Sept. 9, 2016: Lindberg donates $150,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee.
Sept. 16, 2016: Lindberg donates $30,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee.
Oct. 20, 2016: Lindberg donates $80,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee.
Oct. 27, 2016: Greg and Tisha Lindberg donate $5,000 each to Wayne Goodwin’s re-election committee.
November 2016: Republican Mike Causey defeats incumbent Democrat Goodwin in race for insurance commissioner.
Nov. 30, 2017: Lindberg donates $44,300 to the Walker Freedom Fund, according to FEC records.
January 2017: Causey takes office as NC insurance commissioner
Early 2017: Lindberg hires two of Goodwin's former deputies, Ray Martinez and Louis Belo.
March 2017: NC Insurance commissioners express concern to Lindberg about his strategy to reduce the amount of loans his insurance companies have made to his other businesses, WSJ reports. “The examiner also said loans to affiliates ‘were used to provide subsequent dividends to Mr. Greg Lindberg’ — suggesting that insurance money was flowing into his pockets.”
April 5, 2017: Greg and Tisha Lindberg donate $5,000 each to state Sen. Wesley Meredith.
April 18, 2017: Lindberg tries to donate $10,000 to Causey campaign; Causey rejects contribution.
August 2017: Gray asks North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes to schedule a meeting with Causey and Lindberg.
Aug. 29, 2017: FEC data shows Greg Lindberg donates $500,000 to the North Carolina Republican Party’s federal arm.
Oct. 18, 2017: Greg Lindberg donates $100,000 to the N.C. Opportunity Committee, a group supporting Goodwin, nearly a year after the former insurance commissioner lost his race.
Nov. 13, 2017: Hayes write to Lindberg associate John V. Palermo: “If u agree, I’ll suggest u put the money in the party and we will put it in races at your direction.”
Nov. 20, 2017: Lindberg asks Causey to vouch for him with commissioners in other states. Causey, wearing a wire, agrees. Gray later calls Casey to tell him $110,000 with the NC GOP is earmarked for his campaign, and Lindberg wants to host a fundraiser. Causey declines the fundraiser.
Dec. 29, 2017: Lindberg donates $1 million to Truth and Prosperity, a political action committee that supports Lt. Gov. Dan Forest.
Jan. 16, 2018: Lindberg donates $33,900 to the Walker Freedom Fund, according to FEC data.
First half of 2018: Causey begins cooperating with the FBI.
Feb. 5, 2018: Gray tells Lindberg that U.S. Rep. Mark Walker would be good opportunity for support. Lindberg calls Walker and makes $150,000 donation to his campaign.
Feb. 14, 2018: Lindberg and Gray meet Causey at Concord Regional Airport -- all entering through different doors. Lindberg complains to Causey about a senior deputy commissioner, saying she was “deliberately and intentionally and maliciously hurting my reputation with other regulators.”
Lindberg and Gray suggest that Causey hire Palermo to replace the senior deputy.
Feb. 17, 2018: FEC data shows Greg Lindberg donates $150,000 to the Mark Walker Victory Committee.
Feb. 26, 2018: Causey meets with Palermo at a closed restaurant in Chapel Hill. Palermo says Lindberg will pay him a large severance so he can afford to work for DOI.
March 5: 2018: Lindberg, Palermo, Gray and Causey meet at Statesville Regional Airport. Causey says he might be able to hire Palermo as of April 1. Lindberg replies, “That’d be great. That’s a homerun.” Lindberg confirms exit package for Palermo.
Causey asks to speak to Lindberg alone, then asks “What’s in it for me?” Lindberg says he’ll set up PAC to support re-election and fund it with $1 million to $2 million.
March 2018: Lindberg questioned in Milwaukee by National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
April 2018: Lindberg donates $100,000 to Chatham County GOP, where Palermo was the chairman.
May 2018: Lindberg donates $250,000 to North Carolina Democratic Party.
Causey tells Lindberg hiring Palermo would be bad optics and Lindberg agrees. Suggests leaving the senior deputy in place while having all of Lindberg’s business go through “Division Head 1," according to the federal indictment.
“Division Head 1” has not been identified.
May 16, 2018: Lindberg writes a $500,000 check to NC GOP.
May 29, 2018: Lindberg, Gray and Causey meet at Lindberg’s Durham home. Lindberg confirms that he’ll put $1.5 million into independent expenditure committee and $500,000 into NC GOP.
June 7, 2018: Palermo emails Lindberg that the legal entities for the independent committee have been established.
June 8, 2018: Lindberg writes one check for $500,000 and one for $1.5 million to fund the committee. Palermo cashes checks.
June 12, 2018: State records show Lindberg’s $500,000 donation to the NC Growth and Prosperity Committee.
June 29, 2018: Lindberg emails Palermo and others that “we are shutting down donations until we see improvement in NC DOI staff.”
July 17, 2018: WRAL reports that Greg Lindberg has become the biggest campaign donor in North Carolina.
July 25, 2018: Lindberg, Gray and Causey meet at Lindberg’s Durham home. Causey complains that the committee was taking too long to set up and he wants something he can control. Gray suggests doing it through the NC GOP. “That way it’s not traced back to Greg.”
Gray says $250,000 can go to Causey campaign immediately, another $250,000 after the senior deputy commissioner is moved. Lindberg says he will send the NCGOP $250,000 each quarter till they get to the $1.5 million.
They then speak to Hayes, apparently, on a speaker phone. He says: “Well, if that’s what you want to do, we can do it. It looks a little odd to have that much at one time. You know, we were talking about putting it over, you know, so much a month, so it didn’t jump out, but (if) that’s what you want to do, we can do it.”
Hayes continues: “Yeah, well, you know, again, my concern, any large amount like that’s gonna draw attention. Nothing wrong with it, but they’ll see it and somebody will start asking questions, and particularly, given the fact that he doesn’t have to run again until, what, 2020. So put a lot of money at one time in there right now, then, they gonna say, ‘Well why? You don’t have a campaign now.’ (But) whatever you want to do, we’ll do. All I’m doing is raising a couple points that are my obligation -- have you thought of this -- but when you say do it, that’s easy, that’s easy…. All right, I’ll get ‘er done.”
July 26, 2018: NC GOP transfers $230,000 to Causey campaign, bringing total to $250,000.
Aug. 2, 2018: Gray confirms first part of wire transfer to Causey campaign. They agree that the “staff transition” would be done and the second half of the payment made by the end of August.
Aug. 3, 2018: Hayes calls Causey to confirm the money made it into his campaign account.
Aug. 28, 2018: FBI interviews Hayes and asks, “Have you and Mr. Lindberg or anyone who represents Mr. Lindberg, had any discussions about that particular contribution, like what his expectations are regarding those funds?”
Hayes replies, “Absolutely not.”
The agent asks again: “With respect to this most recent large contribution he made, which is $500,000, he didn’t direct you anywhere where that money would go?”
And Hayes again says, “Absolutely not.”
Two more times the agent asks, and two more times Hayes says no.
Agents also ask Hayes if he has talked to Causey about “personnel,” and he says no.
September 2018: Lindberg buys 214-foot yacht named “Double Down.”
Oct. 2, 2018: WRAL reports that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has issued a subpoena to the North Carolina Department of Insurance seeking documents pertaining to Lindberg and his companies. Sources tell WRAL that subpoenas have also been issued in other states.
Oct. 31, 2018: WRAL reports that Insurance Commissioner Causey has turned over $230,000 to the U.S. Marshals Service. That is the amount his campaign received from the North Carolina GOP, allegedly at Lindberg’s behest.
Feb. 5, 2019: WRAL reports that a second subpoena concerning Lindberg and his businesses has been issued to the state Department of Insurance.
April 2, 2019: Federal indictments are unsealed against state GOP Chairman Hayes, Lindberg and two of Lindberg’s associates, Palermo and Gray. Charges include bribery, conspiracy to commit “honest services wire fraud,” and making false statements to the FBI.
April 3, 2019: Hayes relinquishes day-to-day duties at state GOP.
(Sources: WRAL staff reporting, Wall Street Journal, federal court filings)
