This is a breaking news alert from The Charlotte Ledger!
You can sign up for our free newsletter here. Or upgrade to a paid subscription for full access to everything we produce.
Today’s breaking news is brought to you by Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we bring clarity to complexity. Through thoughtful planning and personal attention, we help you pursue opportunities and reclaim time for what matters most.
DA requests an SBI investigation into ‘financial irregularities’ within CMS
Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather
by Ashley Fahey
Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather is asking that the State Bureau of Investigation launch a criminal investigation into “financial irregularities” involving Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Specifically, Merriweather is asking state investigators to investigate transactions involving CMS “beginning in fiscal year 2026 and into fiscal year 2027,” he said in a news release Friday.
The probe request comes on the heels of a 14-page memo sent by CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill to CMS board members this week. The memo, which was obtained by The Ledger, gave a detailed timeline of events around CMS contracting and spending, board decisions and her own suspension and reinstatement this summer.
At the center of Hill’s memo were accusations that board chair Stephanie Sneed went behind the superintendent’s back to hire law firms and to direct CMS staff on contracts, legal work and payments to a consultant.
In a press release Friday, Merriweather said he asked the state Bureau of Investigation last month to “conduct an informal inquiry” into “alleged financial irregularities” in the district. The state is now being asked to carry out a formal criminal investigation, according to the release, which also stated:
“As with any inquiry, a request for a criminal investigation is simply an ask for a formal determination of facts and a search for evidence that can be applied to relevant criminal law. A request for an investigation is not itself a confirmation of the existence of wrongdoing, nor should it be understood as the State’s tendering of a formal allegation of malfeasance. Accordingly, for the duration of this investigation, in strict adherence to the NC Rules of Professional Conduct, neither I nor any member of my office will offer any further comment on this matter.”
In a letter to Nick Deming, special agent in charge at NCSBI, he said he is requesting the agency to investigate “potential violations of N.C.G.S. § 159-181,” which governs enforcement of the Local Government Finance Act, or any other potential violations of criminal law related to legally prohibited transactions.