Corruption

The soccer world is reeling from a corruption scandal at the highest levels.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Tuesday he's stepping down. Meanwhile, top soccer executives face $150 million in bribery charges and one of the accused has ties to the Carolina RailHawks.

Last weekend marked the fifth anniversary of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West Virginia—the nation’s worst coal mine disaster in decades. Massey Energy, one of the largest American coal companies, ran the mine, and its CEO Don Blankenship has since been indicted on charges that he deliberately concealed health and safety violations at the mining site.

Stephen LaRoque, a former high-ranking member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting theft at a federal court in Greenville on Monday.

LaRoque, who resigned his house seat after he was indicted in 2012, entered a plea as part of a deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, allowing him to avoid a trial originally scheduled for next week. He will pay $300,000 in restitution and faces up to 10 years in prison, the attorney’s office said in a statement. Sentencing is scheduled for May 12.

The State Ethics Commission is a small group of officials that has the large task of looking out for public corruption. 

Commissioners investigate everything from public officials’ investments to possible conflicts of interest in state government. But a 2012 report gave North Carolina a “C” when it comes to ethics enforcement. 

In his 27 years as Wake County’s District Attorney, Colon Willoughby has prosecuted everything from high-profile murder cases to corruption in state government. For Willoughby, integrity and impartiality are vital components of the role. 

North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services' policy manual requires justification memos whenever the department hires contract workers.

A records request by the News and Observer shows several hirings were made without the proper documentation. Host Frank Stasio talks with Joe Neff, investigative reporter for the News and Observer, about the department’s procedures.