2018 in review: Developments in the Wanda Greene investigation

Wanda Greene
FALLING SLOWLY: The federal investigation into alleged corruption by former county manager Wanda Greene has continued for all of 2018, with no end on the horizon. Image courtesy of Buncombe County

Even after a full year of developments in the criminal investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene, Buncombe County has still not reached the end of this tumultuous chapter in its history. Citizens did, however, witness many twists and turns in the case throughout 2018.

April 5 A grand jury handed up an indictment charging Greene and her son, former county employee Michael Greene, with racking up more than $200,000 in personal purchases using county purchase cards. The indictment says Wanda Greene turned her p-cards in to the county in 2011 out of concern that the records associated with those cards could be accessible under public records law. Federal prosecutors claim that she then began using photocopies of her subordinates’ p-cards to continue making improper purchases. Michael Greene had a copy of one of these credit cards until officers retrieved it in July 2017.

June 5 Wanda Greene was indicted again — this time on charges that she misappropriated $2.3 million of county money to purchase whole life insurance policies for herself, her son and eight other county employees. (An annuity was purchased for an additional employee.) The indictment says Greene inflated the projected cost of settlements for two civil rights lawsuits to surreptitiously secure funding for the life insurance policies. That night, the Board of Commissioners announced in a statement that the county would be filing a civil lawsuit against Michael and Wanda Greene to recoup money that had been allegedly misappropriated.

June 8 County Manager Mandy Stone, who succeeded Wanda Greene, told the board that she would retire effective July 1.

July 17 The Board of Commissioners approved a $2 million settlement with Guardian Life Insurance Co., the company Wanda Greene allegedly used to purchase the whole life insurance policies using county money.

July 27 Michael Greene pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, which carries a maximum prison term of five years and/or a maximum fine of $250,000. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against Greene and will not require him to testify in any trial or sentencing involving his mother, Wanda Greene.

Aug. 7 Wanda Greene, Mandy Stone and former Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton were indicted on charges that they accepted kickbacks from a former county contractor, Joseph Wiseman Jr., in exchange for lavish vacations. The indictment alleges that the contractor paid for trips to Vienna, Budapest, Cartagena, Vancouver, Key West, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Maine, Phoenix, the Napa Valley, the Grand Canyon, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park.

Aug. 14 The Board of Commissioners voted during a special meeting to terminate all existing contracts with companies associated with Joseph Wiseman Jr., the contractor implicated in the kickback scheme. During the same meeting, the board announced that the county would be filing a civil lawsuit against Greene, Stone, Creighton, Wiseman and companies affiliated with Wiseman to recoup money the county claims was misappropriated.

Oct. 30 Jon Creighton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at most three years of supervised release. As part of the plea agreement, Creighton agreed to provide information and relevant documentation to prosecutors and testify in any future trial, hearing or grand jury proceeding, including any involving his co-defendants.

Nov. 20 The Board of Commissioners approved a $40,000 settlement with Michael Greene as payment for relief sought in the county’s civil lawsuit against him and his mother Wanda Greene. The settlement keeps open the possibility of future legal action against Michael Greene if other misdeeds are discovered.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About David Floyd
David Floyd was a reporter for the Mountain Xpress. He previously worked as a general-assignment reporter for the Johnson City Press.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

7 thoughts on “2018 in review: Developments in the Wanda Greene investigation

  1. Mike

    Why in the world would the county commissioners give Michael Greene $40,000?? Maybe to keep him from divulging info pointing to complicity of some of the commissioners in this mess???

Leave a Reply to Mike ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.