Editing Columbus County, North Carolina (section)

===Colcor===
{{Main|Colcor}}
By the early 1980s, Columbus County had a reputation for intense political competition marked by accusations of fraud and impropriety.<ref name= whiteallen/><ref name= gilkeson>{{cite news| last = Gilkeson| first = Bill| title = FBI Probe: Corrupt Label Produces Ire In Residents Of Columbus| newspaper = Durham Morning Herald| pages = 1A–[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117122699/columbus-reacts-to-colcor-2/ 2A]| date = August 15, 1982| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117122648/columbus-reacts-to-colcor-1/}}</ref> The FBI had received several complaints from local police officers and residents about alleged [[protection racket]]s run by public officials and [[election fraud]]. In early 1980, a former FBI informant moved to the county and reported that he was being told to pay bribes to ensure the smooth operation of his business.<ref name= alston3>{{cite news| last1 = Alston| first1 = Chuck| last2 = Swofford| first2 = Stan| title = Early Recruits Blaze A Trail of Deceit|series=The Colcor Chronicles| newspaper = Greensboro Daily News| year = 1984| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=khFYyHUauRAC&pg=PA457}}</ref> Taking into account the previous complaints they had received, upon being informed, the FBI initiated an undercover investigation into corruption in Columbus County, codenamed "Colcor".<ref name= alston3/><ref name= mcadams>{{cite web| url = https://www.wect.com/2021/02/24/crimes-cape-fear-fbi-colcor-sting-uncovered-hotbed-corruption-southeastern-north-carolina/| title = Crimes of the Cape Fear: FBI 'Colcor' sting uncovered hotbed of corruption in Southeastern North Carolina| last = McAdams| first = Ann| date = February 24, 2021| website = WECT6 News| publisher = Gray Media Group| access-date = January 21, 2023}}</ref>

FBI agents posed as corrupt businessmen with connections to the [[Detroit Partnership|Detroit Mafia]]. They set up an illegal gambling club in Lake Waccamaw to make connections with locals<ref name= mcadams/> and paid bribes to a local judge and the town's police chief to protect their operation.<ref name= alston3/> The agents also paid bribes to county commission chairman Ed Walton Williamson in exchange for political influence.<ref name= mcadams/> With Williamson's help, the agents devised a scheme to investigate election fraud by instigating a referendum in the town of [[Bolton, North Carolina|Bolton]] to legalize liquor-by-the-drink and supplying a local political leader with funds to [[vote buying|buy votes]] to achieve their desired outcome,<ref name= alston4>{{cite news| last1 = Alston| first1 = Chuck| last2 = Swofford| first2 = Stan| title = The FBI Snares A Patsy: Official Played Role Agents Wrote For Him|series=The Colcor Chronicles| newspaper = Greensboro Daily News| date = January 23, 1984| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=khFYyHUauRAC&pg=PA462}}</ref><ref name= alston2>{{cite news| last1 = Alston| first1 = Chuck| last2 = Swofford| first2 = Stan| title = FBI Springs Its Last Traps: Agents Fake Arrests To Keep Deception Alive|series=The Colcor Chronicles| newspaper = Greensboro Daily News| date = January 25, 1984| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=khFYyHUauRAC&pg=PA473}}</ref> the first time the FBI had ever tried to manipulate a public election.<ref name= mcadams/><ref name= alston2/> The town ultimately voted in favor of legalizing liquor-by-the-drink.<ref name= alston2/> The agents were also asked by State Representative G. Ronald Taylor to burn down a business competitor's property, though Taylor eventually enlisted other men to commit the arson.<ref name= mcadams/>

The FBI publicly revealed the Colcor operation on July 29, 1982.<ref name= alston1/><ref name= alston2/> A total of 40 people were indicted for crimes observed during the course of the investigation. Of those indicted, 38 were convicted of crimes, with many reaching [[plea bargain]]s with prosecutors.<ref name= alston1>{{cite news| last1 = Alston| first1 = Chuck| last2 = Swofford| first2 = Stan| title = Cops As Crooks—Is Justice Served By Deceptions?| newspaper = Greensboro Daily News| date = January 26, 1984| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=khFYyHUauRAC&pg=PA479|series=The Colcor Chronicles}}</ref> The [[U.S. House of Representatives]] and the [[North Carolina State Board of Elections]] were critical of the FBI's involvement in the vote-buying sting surrounding the liquor referendum in Bolton, with the Board of Elections ultimately nullifying the referendum.{{sfn|Lawless|2012|loc=Chapter 14: Stings, Scams, Future Trends and Collateral Attacks : Operation "Colcor"}}