Part 5: Federal Investigation into Potential Casino Related Corruption!   Bribes in the Form of questionable Campaign Contributions!!   New old information provided by Robert A

This series of articles started with a Wall Street Journal article published about a month ago. That article focused on an entity, the Kings Mountain Equipment Supply Company (KMESC), that will take in 20% of the revenue running through the Catawba Casino. That the Brother of influential Democrat US House Member Jim Clyburn was GIVEN shares in the KMESC that eventually will rake in $Millions. Same with the HUSBAND of former SC Governor Nikki Haley. Nobody that I know of has found out just exactly what Mr. Nikki Haley or Jim Clyburn’s brother actually did to earn those KMESC shares. However, the very fact that their ownership of ANY shares of ANYTHING politically related to the elected officials has the appearance of a conflict of interest and, as such, represents something Law Enforcement usually has to investigate.

This article is on a different tack. Although Nikki Haley was and Jim Clyburn is a South Carolina elected official and would NOT normally have anything to do with the “doings” in North Carolina, the Catawba Casino is different. Federal Laws are involved and every State’s Federal officials have a say in whether or not the Catawba Casino can be built in North Carolina. Especially South Carolina Officials that do not want the Casino in South Carolina although the Catawba Indian Reservation is officially in South Carolina.

Also, this article also includes South Carolina US Senator Lindsay Graham who was up for election for US President in 2016 and reelection for US Senator in 2020. And especially about the North Carolina, Cleveland County, residents who donated large sums of money to Senator Lindsay Graham’s political campaigns during the time the Catawba Casino location in North Carolina was being decided at the Federal level. YOU will recognize many of the names that will be provided below. Also note that SC Senator Lindsay Graham and US Representative Jim Clyburn were both instrumental in unblocking the logjam at the Federal level to finally bring the approval for the construction of the Catawba Casino in Kings Mountain, NC, although they represented South Carolina residents who had sense enough to want no part of that Casino in South Carolina. However, this article relates to Senator Lindsay Graham as his involvement more recent and direct.

Folks, anybody from everywhere is entitled to donate cash to any person running for political office. Doing so is an extension of the US Constitution’s First Amendment right to free speech. You can read the information provided in this article and decide for yourself whether or not YOU believe the large campaign contributions to SC Senator Lindsay Graham by certain Cleveland County residents were BRIBES. Robert A believes that these campaign contributions were certainly intended to be bribes by the persons making the contributions to Senator Lindsay Graham in exchange for his help in approving the Catawba Casino’s construction in North Carolina. Like Robert A said YOU can decide for yourselves.

Campaign financial records presently in hand show that the following Cleveland County residents donated to South Carolina US Senator Lindsay Graham in 2018, when the Federal Level decisions to build the Catawba Casino in Kings Mountain, #North Carolina were most critical.

Name Amount Date

Eddie Holbrook $10,500 10/27/2017

James M. Rose, Sr. $10,500 10/27/2017

Stuart LeGrand $10,500 10/27/2017

Doug Brown $10,000 10/27/2017

Dennis Beam $5,000 10/16/2017

Drew Beam $5,000 10/16/2017

Joan Dear $5,000 10/27/2017

Roger L. Holland $1,000 10’27/2017

Notes:

  1. Eddie Holbrook was an elected Cleveland County Commissioner during this time frame, but was defeated in the 2018 Commissioner elections.
  2. Eddie Holbrook listed as his Employer/Occupation as Cleveland Community College/Fundraising and Community Relations.
  3. Dennis and Drew Beam listed as their employer/occupation as Broad River Holdings LLC/Real Estate.
  4. Stuart LeGrand and Joan Dear listed themselves as Retired.
  5. Doug Brown listed himself as Rst/Owner
  6. Roger Holland listed himself as Holland and Hamrick Architects.
  7. Jim Rose, Sr. left his Employer/occupation blank.

Robert A’s Evaluation inputs:

  • All the home addresses for every person noted above is Shelby, North Carolina.
  • All the Donation dates are close together. Most were 10/27/2017. Two are 10/16, 2017.
  • Joan Dear is the wife, and likely business partner, of former County Manager David Dear. Joan Dear has to be considered the “proxy vote” for David Dear in all the Dear family extensive business dealings.
  • David Dear and Roger Holland are also business partners in the NewGrass Brewery in Uptown Shelby.
  • Eddie Holbrook, Stuart Legrand, Doug Brown and perhaps others are involved together in a real estate dealing called E-5 Holdings. And perhaps others involved with property near the Catawba Casino.
  • It is believed that every person on this list, plus Wallace Cheves, a Casino advocate from South Carolina made large donations to the Eddie Holbrook re-election campaign for Commissioner in 2018 that spent $68,000 in that loss. More than the winning candidates put together times 10.
  • Other documents indicate Millie Holbrook, Eddie Holbrook’s wife and stepdaughter both made large campaign contributions to the Eddie Holbrook and Lindsay Graham for US Senator from South Carolina campaign.

Robert As Conclusions:

Eddie Holbrook had or made campaign contributions and voted, along with others (possibly other Commissioners and County Managers) that were most likely criminal conflicts of interest and collusion for Eddie Holbrook in his position as a Cleveland County Commissioner involved with the approval of Constructing the Catawba Casino in Kings Mountain, NC. Perhaps including the County Managers. Perhaps other County officials are also involved

Folks, YOU can make up your own mind. But Robert A suggest that YOU ask the next FBI Agent you come across in Cleveland County to include Eddie Holbrook, his wife and family as well as everybody else on the list above, into their investigation of corruption regarding the Catawba Casino. Also. Note that Robert A also has a treasure trove of additional information that supports his conclusions that will be the subject of many more articles on this subject.

Stay tuned Folks (and the FBI), YOU ain’t heard nothing yet!!!

Also, folks. If Robert A runs for Commissioner and wins in 2024, Robert A will work hard to ensure the corruption that has become ingrained in Cleveland County Leadership will be put to an end and the guilty persons properly taken care of. Robert A is developing a plan for re-organizing Cleveland County Government that he will release very, VERY soon.