2 FORMER ROBESON LAWMEN CHARGED

LUMBERTON -- Two more former Robeson County deputies are facing federal
money-laundering charges as part of the investigation into the
Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Division.

James O. Hunt and Kevin Rudolph Meares have each been charged with
conspiring to commit money-laundering. Meares is accused of
participating in these acts between 1998 and 2002, according to court
records. Hunt was involved between Oct. 17, 2001, and April 1, 2004,
the documents state. The men were charged by a bill of criminal
information, said Debra Johnson, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's
Office. A bill was entered in federal court for Hunt on July 7 and for
Meares on July 10.

A bill of criminal information is a formal criminal charge without a
grand jury indictment. Generally, those who are charged by a bill of
information have agreed to a plea in exchange for information.

The men were not arrested. Each received a summons to appear in U.S.
District Court in Wilmington. Hunt is scheduled to appear Wednesday
for his arraignment and plea.

Meares' court date has been set for Aug. 4. Hunt, 39, worked for the
Sheriff's Office from December 1994 to July 2005. Meares, 37, was
employed with the department from January to August 2005. If the men
are found guilty, any property -- including money and vehicles --
obtained or used during the criminal action would have to be
forfeited, court records state.

Court records indicate Hunt is a material witness in the case
involving other former drug enforcement officers. He received a target
letter from federal investigators in November 2005 telling him he was
under investigation. That same month, he was appointed a federal
public defender. Former deputies Roger Taylor, C.T. Strickland and
Steve Lovin were arrested June 9 on 10-counts of racketeering charges.
The indictment says that from 1995 to 2004, the men were involved in
numerous illegal acts that included the arson of two homes and a
business, assault, theft of public funds, distribution of drugs and
money-laundering.

Lovin is accused of stealing money during six stops on Interstate 95.
Thousands of dollars were seized during those stops, according to
federal investigators.

The men could receive 10 years to life if convicted of the
racketeering charges; 10 years each on the theft from programs
receiving federal funds charges; and 20 years on the conspiracy to
commit money-laundering charges. Their arrests are part of a 3-year
investigation called "Operation Tarnished Badge." Taylor, Strickland
and Lovin were released last week after U.S. District Judge Terrence
Boyle ruled they were not a danger to the community or a flight risk.
The men are not allowed to travel outside of the Eastern District of
North Carolina without approval. They must report to the U.S.
Probation Office. The men were also told not to contact potential
witnesses or victims in the case or violate any laws.