Robin Hayes
| Robert Cannon Hayes | |
|---|---|
| Born: | August 14, 1945 Concord, North Carolina |
| Charges: | Making a false statement to the FBI (18 U.S.C. § 1001) |
| Sentence: | One year probation; $9,500 fine |
| Facility: | None (no custodial sentence) |
| Status: | Pardoned |
Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes (born August 14, 1945) is a former American politician. He represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009. He later chaired the North Carolina Republican Party from 2016 until his resignation in 2019.
In October 2019, Hayes pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina to one count of making a false statement to the FBI. The charge arose from a federal investigation into an attempt to bribe North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. Prosecutors said insurance executive Greg Lindberg sought favorable regulatory treatment and wanted a senior deputy at the Department of Insurance removed. Hayes was accused of helping route campaign money toward Causey as part of that effort. He was indicted on bribery and conspiracy counts in early 2019. Those counts were dropped under the plea agreement. He admitted only to lying to FBI agents.[1]
In August 2020, a federal judge sentenced Hayes to one year of probation and a $9,500 fine. He served no prison time. The court cited his age, his health, and his lack of a prior record. Lindberg, the central figure in the scheme, was convicted at trial and sentenced to more than seven years. On January 20, 2021, his last full day in office, President Donald Trump granted Hayes a full pardon.[2][3]
Political Career
Hayes was born in Concord, North Carolina, on August 14, 1945. He came from a prominent textile family. His maternal grandfather, Charles A. Cannon, ran Cannon Mills, one of the largest towel and sheet manufacturers in the United States.[4]
He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives during the 1990s. In 1996, he won the Republican nomination for governor. He lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Jim Hunt.[4]
Hayes won the 8th congressional district seat in 1998 and took office in 1999. The district stretched from Charlotte's suburbs into rural counties to the east. He held the seat through five terms. In 2008, a Democratic wave year, he lost to Democrat Larry Kissell by a narrow margin.[4]
He stayed active in state party politics after Congress. In 2016, the North Carolina Republican Party elected him chairman. He held that post until June 2019, when he resigned after the federal indictment became public.[5]
Bribery Case
The case grew out of the business of Greg Lindberg, a North Carolina insurance executive who controlled a group of insurance companies under Eli Global. State regulators were examining his firms. Lindberg wanted that scrutiny to stop.[1]
Prosecutors described a plan to influence Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. Lindberg and two associates, John Gray and John Palermo, sought to direct large sums toward Causey's expected 2020 reelection campaign. The money was to move through party accounts and independent expenditure committees. The plan, as charged, called for roughly $250,000 each quarter, building toward about $2 million in total contributions.[5]
In exchange, Lindberg wanted Causey to remove a senior deputy commissioner who was overseeing examinations of his companies. He also wanted a regulator more favorable to his interests installed in that role.[2]
Causey did not take the deal. He reported the contacts to the FBI and then cooperated with investigators. He wore a recording device and captured conversations with the participants. Those recordings became central to the prosecution.[3]
Hayes, then the state party chairman, was drawn into the effort. Prosecutors said he agreed to help move campaign money toward Causey and to communicate with the commissioner about the arrangement.[1]
A federal grand jury returned an indictment in early 2019. It was unsealed in late March 2019. Hayes faced counts of conspiracy, bribery, and making false statements to the FBI. Lindberg, Gray, and Palermo were charged in the same case.[5]
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Hayes pleaded guilty on October 2, 2019. He admitted to a single count of making a false statement to FBI agents. The statement came during an August 2018 interview. He told agents he had not spoken with Causey about personnel matters at the Department of Insurance. That was false. The bribery and conspiracy counts against him were dismissed as part of the agreement.[1][5]
The court sentenced Hayes on August 19, 2020. The judge imposed one year of probation and a $9,500 fine. Hayes received no prison time. Prosecutors had recommended probation. They noted that he admitted the offense, accepted responsibility, and agreed to cooperate. His age and health also weighed in the decision.[2]
The outcome for the other defendants was different. Lindberg and Gray went to trial in 2020. A jury convicted both. The court sentenced Lindberg to more than seven years in federal prison and fined him $35,000. Causey, who reported the scheme, was never charged.[2]
Pardon
On January 20, 2021, President Donald Trump granted Hayes a full and unconditional pardon. The action came on Trump's final full day in office, within a batch of more than 100 pardons and commutations issued that day.[6]
The White House said North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and other members of the state's congressional delegation supported the request. A spokesman for Tillis, Daniel Keylin, said Hayes "has had a long and distinguished career in public service and has taken full responsibility and demonstrated sincere contrition for his momentary lapse in judgment."[7]
The pardon cleared the false-statement conviction. It did not disturb the convictions of Lindberg or Gray, who were sentenced separately.[3]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did Robin Hayes do?
Hayes pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI. During an August 2018 interview, he told agents he had not discussed personnel matters with North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. That was false. The interview was part of an investigation into an effort to bribe Causey on behalf of insurance executive Greg Lindberg.[1]
Q: Did Robin Hayes go to prison?
No. A federal judge sentenced Hayes in August 2020 to one year of probation and a $9,500 fine. He served no prison time. The court cited his age, his health, and his cooperation.[2]
Q: Was Robin Hayes pardoned?
Yes. President Donald Trump granted Hayes a full pardon on January 20, 2021, his last full day in office. The pardon was issued in a group of more than 100 clemency actions that day.[6]
Q: What was the bribery scheme about?
Prosecutors said insurance executive Greg Lindberg sought to direct about $2 million toward Commissioner Mike Causey's 2020 reelection campaign. In return, Lindberg wanted a senior deputy who was examining his companies removed. Causey reported the contacts to the FBI and recorded conversations. Hayes was accused of helping route the money, though the bribery counts against him were dropped.[5]
Q: What happened to Greg Lindberg?
Lindberg was convicted at a 2020 trial and sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison in the bribery case. He faced additional federal charges in later years tied to his insurance businesses.[2]
Q: What was Robin Hayes' political career?
Hayes served in the U.S. House for North Carolina's 8th district from 1999 to 2009. He was the 1996 Republican nominee for governor. He later chaired the North Carolina Republican Party from 2016 to 2019.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Robin Hayes, former North Carolina GOP chairman, pleads guilty to lying to FBI".Hsu, Spencer S..The Washington Post.2019-10-02.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "NC billionaire gets 7 years in prison for political bribery scheme; Hayes probation".WSOC-TV.2020-08-19.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Former NC Rep. Robin Hayes Pardoned By Trump".WUNC.2021-01-20.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Former NC Congressman Robin Hayes pardoned by Trump".WCNC.2021-01-20.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Former Head of North Carolina GOP Pleads Guilty in Insurance Commissioner Bribery Case".Insurance Journal.2019-10-04.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Former North Carolina Congressman Robin Hayes granted pardon by President Trump before leaving office".ABC11.2021-01-20.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Trump Pardons Former NC GOP Chair Robin Hayes".Spectrum News.2021-01-20.Retrieved 2026-06-03.