RALEIGH — A North Carolina businessman who was convicted of using political donations to influence decision making at the N.C. Dept. of Insurance announced a $1 million commitment to the American Civil Liberties Union’s Criminal Law Reform Project. Greg Lindberg said in a release that his “contribution is meant to help people who don’t have the resources to fight injustice.”
The donation will support an ongoing project at the ACLU which seeks to end excessive punishments and insure fair and equal treatment. Lindberg cited recent prisoner releases due to COVID-19 as one of the reasons for his donation. “If these non-violent offenders are safe for society now, why weren’t they safe before? The truth is, they were always safe for society and it took a pandemic for the government to appreciate that,” said Lindberg.
Lindberg said his own legal battles have given him a firsthand view of how the justice system works. “The justice system is broken and your freedom is at risk,” said Lindberg. “Even for someone with an ability to hire the best counsel, fighting the U.S. or State Government can wipe people out — emotionally, financially, physically, spiritually.”
Lindberg was accused of using political donations to influence decision-making at the N.C. Department of Insurance. N.C. Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey recorded conversations with Lindberg about removing a department employee from reviews of Lindberg’s insurance companies. Ultimately, Lindberg was convicted of conspiracy and bribery charges by a federal jury in March.
Lindberg has maintained his innocence and said in his release that he “intends to appeal the decision and is optimistic that it will be overturned on appeal.” He has accused Causey of entrapment and said the FBI coached Causey.
The ACLU has not made a public statement on the donation but WRAL confirmed the ACLU has received the first payment from Lindberg as part of his five-year pledge.
