Federal courthouse in Asheville

Prison for all in Buncombe corruption scheme

Calling former County Manager Wanda Greene’s activities a “tragic waste on a personal level” with “horrific consequences for the county of Buncombe,” U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad sentenced her to 7 years in federal prison and ordered her to pay a $100,000 fine. Co-conspirators Michael Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton and Joseph Wiseman, Jr., all received active prison time, a year of supervised release and a financial penalty.

North Carolina earns a C- on corruption risk report card


According to a study released by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity, North Carolina gets a C- on its corruption risk report card and failed in three areas: public access to information, state budgeting processes and redistricting. The report cards are a part of the State Integrity Investigation project. (Image courtesy of the State Integrity Investigation project)

Judge deals out prison sentences in corruption scandal

It worked like a charm. Video-poker-machine owners slipped the gambling devices across the South Carolina state line and into the backrooms of small restaurants and country convenience stores across Western North Carolina. The money rolled in—as much as $30,000 per machine per year—and players were lured by the prospect of winning cash, rather than the […]

Shepherd and Davis plea agreements

In March 2008, Ronnie Eugene “Butch” Davis and Jack Willis “Jackie” Shepherd entered plea agreements in federal court and explained their involvement in an illegal gambling operation. The pleas are the latest in the federal government’s wide-ranging investigation into illegal gambling involving video-poker machines in Western North Carolina, a case that has netted video-poker-machine owners […]