A Republican women's group in North Carolina , including a district court judge, is under criminal investigation for auctioning off ...
A Republican women's group in North Carolina, including a district court judge, is under criminal investigation for auctioning off two 'hand-signed' Trump 2020 hats for $1,600 - but they were actually digitally printed.
The Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's Club is the subject of a criminal probe by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations following the allegedly fraudulent hat auction.
'We are investigating criminal allegations involving the Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's (LCFRW) organization,' SBI Spokesperson Angie Grube told WECT.
The Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's Club is the subject of a criminal probe by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations over an auction that netted $1,600 for two 'hand-signed' Trump hats that allegedly bore digitally printed versions of the president's signature
The signature on the hat as pictured by WECT (previous photo) barely resembles President Trump's distinctive signature (above)
The Wilmington Police Department and the local district attorney's office jointly requested the probe, Grube said.
North Carolina District Court Judge Sandra Ray is implicated in the investigation into the club's alleged scheme to auction 'hand-signed' Trump hats with a fake signature
The investigation into the alleged fraud involves the hats, sources told the news station. After buying the hats, the purchaser realized the signatures were printed digitally.
If the hats had a true signature in the president's distinctive handwriting, they would be worth much more than if they had a digitally printed signature.
Make America Great Again hats with Trump's hand signature are regularly auctioned on eBay for over $100.
A photo of one of the hats published by WECT shows a signature that bears little resemblance to Trump's.
Implicated in the investigation is Judge Sandra Ray, who was reelected in November to a fifth term as District Court Judge for District 5, which includes New Hanover and Pender Counties in the Cape Fear region.
Ray also served as the president of the Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's Club from 2017-2018, WECT reported.
Potential conflicts of interest made it necessary to bring in the state investigators.
Ray was the subject of an elections complaint during her Republican primary campaign in February, according to WECT.
From 2017-2018 Judge Ray was president of the Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's club, which is also under investigation for possible irregularities in its finances
Mike Korn was handing out leaflets opposing Ray outside a voting site on February 18.
He claimed the judge confiscated papers he'd given to a voter and threatened legal action against him.
Ray and the Lower Cape Fear Republican Women's Club did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment.
Besides the auction of the two 'Trump 2020 - Keep America Great' hats, the investigation also comprises possible irregularities in the finances of the women's club, according the news station.
Make America Great Again hats that are hand-signed by the president, as this one was in 2018, regularly fetch over $100 on eBay - much more than a hat with a digitally printed signature would get
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