Former N.C. House speaker resigns

Former North Carolina House Speaker Jim Black resigned from the Legislature on Wednesday, and his lawyer confirmed that he plans to plead guilty to a federal corruption charge.

Black, who chose not to run for a fifth term as House speaker in December, was not in the chamber when his resignation letter was read by a clerk during the afternoon floor session.

"I am extremely proud of the many accomplishments of the House during the last eight years while I served as speaker," Black wrote. "Now it is time for me to move forward with my life and attend to the health and welfare of my family."

His attorney, Ken Bell, said Black will plead guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Bell would not describe the nature of Black's crime, saying only it is unrelated "to any of the matters that the media has reported that he has been investigated for."

Black's plans were first reported Tuesday by The Charlotte Observer.

Federal authorities declined to comment, but scheduled a court hearing Thursday on a "significant public corruption matter."

Black's replacement as speaker, Democratic Rep. Joe Hackney, said Wednesday that Black told him he planned to plead guilty to the corruption charge.

"We know Jim Black as a friend and we prefer _ most of us _ to remember the good things that he did for North Carolina over the years," Hackney said.

Black, a 71-year-old Democrat, represents a district in suburban Charlotte.

In late 2005, a federal grand jury began looking into his campaign finances and his connections to the lottery and video gambling industries.

The State Board of Elections ruled in March that his campaign illegally accepted corporate contributions and checks with the payee line left blank. His campaign later forfeited at least $16,875, and the board asked state prosecutors to decide whether Black should be charged criminally with breaking state campaign finance laws.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Black's plea in federal court would resolve the state issue. The phone at Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby's office rang unanswered Wednesday.

(Corrects spelling of Willoughby's first name to Colon, sted Collin.)