Michael Decker took a Bribe. Michael Decker switched Political Parties in North Carolina to swing a leadership vote.  Michael Decker got caught. Michael Decker wins the Darwin Political Award for Stupidity. 

A former state House member pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal conspiracy charge of accepting $50,000 to switch parties in 2003 and keep House Speaker Jim Black in power.

Michael Decker was a Forsyth County Republican at the beginning of the 2003 session when he switched to the Democratic Party. The move left the House with 60 Republicans and 60 Democrats and allowed Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, to share his speaker’s position in an agreement with Rep. Richard Morgan, a Moore County Republican.

U.S. District Court Judge James Dever scheduled Decker’s sentencing for Nov. 1. The felony, one count of conspiring to extort money, is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“I think this all points to why we needed to pass ethics reform,” Sen. Majority Leader Tony Rand said in reaction to the plea. “There’s no question that anything like this is damaging to the institution.”

Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat, has been a proponent of legislative ethics reform and guided several such measures to passage in the session that ended last week.

Black, who first became speaker in 1998, was not named during the hearing or in court documents. He and his office have been under state and federal investigations, but he has said he is not the target of a federal investigation.

Black’s lawyer, Ken Bell, issued a statement, saying Black was not involved in any payments to Decker for switching parties.

“It was obvious from the State Board of Elections hearing that Michael Decker stole checks that were meant for his campaign,” Bell said. “This would not be the first time someone got in trouble and made up stories about someone else to try to get out of it.

“Speaker Black continues to vehemently deny that he gave or offered anything to Decker in exchange for his vote.”

Before the session began, Fayetteville Democratic Rep. Rick Glazier called on House Democrats to consider whether Black should remain speaker amid the investigations. Several House Democrats said Black should step down.

Glazier was unavailable Tuesday.

During the past session, lawmakers approved new limits on campaign contributions, banned the use of contributions for personal use and banned the use of checks with blank payee lines.

Questions about Decker’s personal use of campaign funds acceptance of partially blank checks were investigated by the state Board of Elections.

“This kind of public corruption undermined our democracy and the legitimacy of legislative bodies,” acting U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement. “Public officials must be held accountable when they take official action for private financial gain.”

Decker declined to comment as he left the courthouse.

The federal charge says Decker met a Democratic House member to receive $38,000 in checks and $12,000 in cash for switching parties. The House member was not identified.

The money was offered as campaign contributions, but Decker used some of the money for personal use, court records state.

Decker lost a re-election bid in 2004, and Black returned to his role as speaker when Democrats regained a majority.

Last fall, subpoenas sent to Black’s office sought information about contact he and his staff may have had with 28 different groups, many connected to the video poker industry and the newly created state lottery, along with Decker and one of Black’s former political aides.

In May, federal prosecutors indicted a former North Carolina lottery commissioner, accusing him of failing to disclose, as required, payments he received for work performed for a lottery contractor. Black had appointed Kevin Geddings to the commission but said he knew nothing about his ties to the contractor.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said, “We will continue to investigate these and other related matters with the U.S. Attorney and the Wake (County) District Attorney.”

Michael Decker 

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