CSS Neuse II

Disclaimer - To my knowledge, no person mentioned in this article has committed a crime, pleaded guilty to or been convicted of any crime associated with events listed here.

So far in this process, I've allowed Ted Sampley to defend himself in his own words. They might not have been fresh words, but he has provided ample material on his various sites to promote himself and dispute most claims. If the story has already been told, why even bother writing about Ted Sampley? I have struggled with this myself.

If Ted Sampley was simply a sloppy businessman who failed to file proper papers and failed to file or pay his taxes, I wouldn't bother with him. He isn't just another businessman, though. Ted Sampley has put himself out in the community as the leader of a charitable organization. He runs a 501c3 and solicits money from the public and receives favorable tax treatment from the state and from the IRS. He owes it to the town of Kinston and to the taxpayers of this state to be a good steward of the money with which he's been entrusted.

I write to bring attention to someone who, in my opinion, does not deserve another ounce of public trust. I write in the hopes that donors will watch their pocketbooks closely and look into any charity Ted Sampley is involved with. I write in the hopes that various authorities will take notice of the documents improperly filed, filed late or not filed at all in the course of Sampley's business dealings - to simply provide a guarantee that money is being used for the charitable purpose for which it was intended. I write because the veterans in my family deserve far better than the likes of Ted Sampley out in the world using his veteran status as a badge of honor to gain public sympathy and public trust when he does very little to earn it. At the same time he uses his veteran status as a shield to deflect criticism. Respecting a man or woman's veteran status doesn't mean you give them a free pass for all their transgressions. So, I write.

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