Meg Scott Phipps is an American former politician who served as the

Commissioner of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

for the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 2001 to 2003.

Early life

From

Mebane, North Carolina Mebane is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the U.S. Congress. It was incorporated a ...

, she is the daughter of former

North Carolina governor The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

Bob Scott and

Jessie Rae Scott Jessie Rae Scott (October 12, 1929 – December 26, 2010) was an American politician who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973 through her marriage to North Carolina Governor Robert W. Scott. Scott unsuccessfully sought ...

, as well as the granddaughter of former U.S. Senator and North Carolina Governor

W. Kerr Scott William Kerr Scott (April 17, 1896April 16, 1958) was an American Democratic Party politician from North Carolina. He was the 62nd governor of North Carolina from 1949 until 1953 and a United States Senator from 1954 until 1958. A native of ...

. Phipps is a 1978 graduate of

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

and a 1981 graduate of the

Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law The Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law (also known as Campbell Law School or Campbell University School of Law) is a private law school in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1976, the law school is one of six graduate programs ...

Campbell University Campbell University is a private Baptist university in Buies Creek, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (Southern Baptist Convention). Southern Baptist ConventionColleges and Universities sbc.net ...

Career

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she was elected to the position of Agriculture Commissioner in November 2000. Controversy erupted less than a month into her term when she selected a new midway vendor for the

North Carolina State Fair The North Carolina State Fair is an American state fair and agricultural exposition held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1853, the fair is organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It attrac ...

, replacing a longtime vendor, who immediately filed suit against the state. In May 2001, allegations emerged of inappropriate use of campaign funds from her 2000 campaign.

Resignation and criminal charges

After two campaign aides were

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...

and one

pleaded guilty In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a criminal case under common law using the adversarial system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response ...

to federal

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

and

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

charges,

North Carolina Governor The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

Mike Easley Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony. A member of ...

asked Phipps to resign her position. On June 6, 2003, she resigned and was replaced by interim commissioner

Britt Cobb W. Britt Cobb, Jr. is a former North Carolina government official. His last position was as chief of staff for North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue until she left office in January 2013. Previously, he had served as her Secretary of Administrat ...

. In October 2003, Phipps was tried and found guilty of

perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...

and

obstruction of justice Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...

charges; soon afterwards, she

to five of the original 30 federal charges against her, including

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

, and

witness tampering Witness tampering is the act of attempting to improperly influence, alter or prevent the testimony of witnesses within criminal or civil proceedings. Witness tampering and reprisals against witnesses in organized crime cases have been a difficul ...

. In March 2004, she was sentenced to four years in federal prison and served her sentence at

Alderson Federal Prison Camp The Federal Prison Camp, Alderson (FPC Alderson) is a minimum-security United States federal prison for female inmates in West Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. F ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. While in prison, Phipps became friends with

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

, who was also incarcerated there. While serving her sentence, Phipps taught English and other courses to her fellow inmates.wral.com, April 23, 2007, Meg Scott Phipps Returns Home After Prison Stint by David Crabtree
/ref> She was briefly allowed out to attend her brother Kerr's funeral.

Later life

On April 23, 2007, Phipps was released from prison.

Hawfields Presbyterian Church Hawfields Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church complex located near Mebane, Alamance County, North Carolina. The congregation was established by settlers in the 1700s. The complex consists of the original church building, the cl ...

hired her as its director of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

education. Monitored by an ankle bracelet for six months, she could only leave her house to tend to work-related affairs. After three years she was hired by Alamance Community College to teach women's studies and undertook further education at the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

. She later worked as an administrator for assisted living facilities in Mebane and Chapel Hill before retiring and moving with her husband to

Lake Lure Lake Lure is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. In 2020 the town population was 1,634. Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927, and acquired the lake after which it is named in 1965. History In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and ...

in 2017.

Footnotes

Works cited

External links

Collection of news stories about Phipps and the scandal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps, Meg Scott Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people North Carolina Commissioners of Agriculture People from Mebane, North Carolina Women in North Carolina politics North Carolina Democrats Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right American perjurers People convicted of obstruction of justice Campbell University alumni Wake Forest University alumni American Presbyterians North Carolina politicians convicted of crimes

Meg Meg is a feminine given name, often a short form of Megatron, Megan, Megumi (Japanese), etc. It may refer to: People *Meg (singer), a Japanese singer *Meg Cabot (born 1967), American author of romantic and paranormal fiction *Meg Burton Cahill ( ...