North Carolina GOP Chairman Is Among Four Indicted for Bribery

Apr 02 2019, 4:54 PMApr 02 2019, 5:55 PMApril 02 2019, 4:54 PMApril 02 2019, 5:55 PM

(Bloomberg) -- The chairman of North Carolina’s Republican party and three other people, including a top political donor, were indicted on bribery charges related to programs receiving federal funds, prosecutors said.

Robin Hayes, 73, and the others made their initial court appearances Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler in federal court in Charlotte, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hayes’s lawyer, Kearns Davis, didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

On Monday, the North Carolina Republican Party announced that Hayes, a former five-time congressman, would retire as chairman effective June 8, citing a recent hip surgery. The organization’s homepage is dominated by a photo of Hayes with a “Thank You Chairman Hayes” line.