US Judge Orders Former NC Official to start Prison Term

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge says it’s time for a former county manager in North Carolina to start her seven-year prison sentence on fraud, bribery and other corruption charges.

Multiple media organizations report that U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad on Friday denied a request by both prosecutors and lawyers to delay the sentence for former Buncombe County manager Wanda Greene.

Conrad says the 68-year-old Greene was at the heart of a corruption scheme by local officials dating back to 2007, and it’s time for her to go to prison.

Prosecutors said they wanted Greene nearby as she helps with the investigation and prosecution of other county officials and contractors. Three other county officials are charged with accepting gifts in exchange for awarding government contracts to a Georgia engineering contractor.