Local

Congressman Robert Pittenger under federal probe

By Jenna Deery
By Jenna Deery

NORTH CAROLINA — U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-North Carolina, and the land acquisition company he once owned are the focus of a federal probe, but the FBI has not specified what the agency has been looking for.
 
The congressman told Eyewitness News the FBI first started talking to employees at Robert Pittenger Land Investments in April. Despite his wife's role as CEO, he said the FBI hasn't told them why agents have been inquiring about the business for months.
 
Reporter Jenna Deery asked Robert Pittenger if he had any idea what the probe is about.
 
"No, I really don't," he said.
 
For years, questions have been raised about any conflicts of interest between Robert Pittenger's business and his political office.
 
The congressman said he sold off his share of the company before he took office in 2013, but his wife, Suzanne Pittenger is now the CEO.
 
In 2003, then-state Sen. Robert Pittenger came under scrutiny for his vote on an annexation bill involving land he owned near Waxhaw.
 
Reports suggested the bill's approval caused the property's value to go up when it was sold to be developed into the Lawson Station neighborhood.
 
Robert Pittenger told Deery that has nothing to do with Friday's probe.
 
"Yeah, there was an investigation then and there was nothing that was done that was wrong," Robert Pittenger said. 
 
Suzanne Pittenger is listed as the registered agent on 57 limited liability companies with land deals, according to the Secretary of State's website.
 
Many of them involve properties around interstates like the Monroe Bypass, which the North Carolina Department of Transportation is building now. 
 
The FBI is not commenting about the probe.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

WSOC

0

Most Read