Suspension For Perdue Campaign Employee

The web page of the North Carolina State Bar reports

Asheville attorney Julia Leigh Sitton pled guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice. Sitton was an employee of the Bev Perdue campaign. Sitton agreed that a campaign contributor could pay her an extra $2,000 per month through a purported consulting contract under which Sitton did not actually provide any consulting services to the contributor. This arrangement allowed the contributor to exceed the limit on allowable campaign contributions under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-278.13 and allowed the campaign to avoid reporting the payments on campaign finance reports required by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-278.8 and § 163-278.11. The DHC suspended Sitton’s law license for three years. After serving one year of the suspension, Sitton may apply for a stay of the balance upon compliance with enumerated conditions. Sitton received credit for the time she voluntarily abstained from the practice of law following her conviction.

WRAL.com reported on the guilty plea in the criminal case. (Mike Frisch)