Pair accused of bribing state regulator

By Gary D. Robertson - The Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. -- A federal grand jury has charged two former investors in a company seeking to build an ethanol plant in eastern North Carolina with conspiring to commit extortion and bribery. David Lee Brady, 75, of Raleigh, and James Albert Perry Jr., 62, of Wake Forest, were released on bail after appearing in court to face charges contained in an indictment unsealed Tuesday. Perry is a former mayor of Wake Forest. The indictment accuses Brady and Perry of working together to bribe a state environmental regulator to expedite permits for a $220 million plant proposed by their company, Agri-Ethanol Products LLC, in Beaufort County. The men also are accused of committing perjury before a federal grand jury in November. Brady is accused of lying to federal agents who visited his... [read full story]