Sometimes I have to
work on something
for a while before I
tell you about it.
Let
me give you a couple
examples:
Safe to
Rebuild
Over
the past month,
we’ve been working
on an initiative to
help western North
Carolina.
When
Hurricane Helene
first hit, our
primary focus was
making sure people
weren’t being price
gouged for things
like water and gas.
Now
that we’re past the
immediate aftermath,
the concern isn’t
price gouging so
much as what comes
next: property crime
(especially at
construction sites),
contractor fraud (lots
of work starting,
much of it
unlicensed), and
scams claiming
access to federal
funds.
So we
launched a project
- Safe to
Rebuild -
focused on stopping
those risks before
they grow.
It
kicked off last week
with press
conferences in
Haywood and Watauga
Counties. They
looked like this:
I was
joined by law
enforcement leaders
from across the
region, and the
message was simple:
If
you’re thinking
about stealing from
or defrauding people
who are trying to
rebuild their lives
- don’t. You will
face consequences.
And
to every mother and
father wondering
whether it’s safe to
stay and rebuild:
we’re doing
everything in our
power to protect
your family. Your
safety is our
mission.
Contractor fraud is
a major concern, so
we posted a guide on
our website: how to
vet a contractor,
plus three basic
rules - get multiple
estimates, get your
contract in writing,
and never pay the
full fee up front.
During the press
conference in
Haywood, a family
was walking by. They
waited for it to be
over, and then came
over to say hello.
It was a great
moment because it
was exactly why we
were there, and I
hope families across
western NC heard our
message and felt a
little better.
Fentanyl
money laundering
My
second example is
one I can’t tell you
much about yet - but
it’s coming.
As
you know, people die
from fentanyl in our
state each day.
For people my age
and younger, it’s
one of our leading
causes of death.
Stopping that means
fighting on multiple
fronts. One of the
biggest: money
laundering. In other
words, how the
profits from
fentanyl trafficking
are cleaned and
moved through the
financial system to
keep the operation
going.
The
good news is that
our state recently
passed an anti-money
laundering law. I’m
the first AG in
North Carolina with
that tool.
So in
my first couple of
months on the job, I
had extensive
meetings with
federal and state
law enforcement
about this. Then I
took what I learned,
brought it to my
team, and we worked
out a plan.
Then
I took it to other
AGs. They are
reviewing it as you
read this.
Soon,
I’m going to share a
lot more with you
about fentanyl money
laundering. It is
massive in scope,
likely more than
$100 million per
week. That
means that
disrupting these
financial networks
isn’t optional -
it’s essential.
I’ll
keep you posted.
Three wins
Best,
Jeff
Jackson
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