Three wins

And the last one is the biggest

Sometimes I have to work on something for a while before I tell you about it.

Let me give you a couple examples:

Safe to Rebuild

Over the past month, we’ve been working on an initiative to help western North Carolina.

When Hurricane Helene first hit, our primary focus was making sure people weren’t being price gouged for things like water and gas.

Now that we’re past the immediate aftermath, the concern isn’t price gouging so much as what comes next: property crime (especially at construction sites), contractor fraud (lots of work starting, much of it unlicensed), and scams claiming access to federal funds.

So we launched a project - Safe to Rebuild - focused on stopping those risks before they grow.

It kicked off last week with press conferences in Haywood and Watauga Counties. They looked like this:

Haywood County

Watauga County

I was joined by law enforcement leaders from across the region, and the message was simple:

If you’re thinking about stealing from or defrauding people who are trying to rebuild their lives - don’t. You will face consequences.

And to every mother and father wondering whether it’s safe to stay and rebuild: we’re doing everything in our power to protect your family. Your safety is our mission.

Contractor fraud is a major concern, so we posted a guide on our website: how to vet a contractor, plus three basic rules - get multiple estimates, get your contract in writing, and never pay the full fee up front.

During the press conference in Haywood, a family was walking by. They waited for it to be over, and then came over to say hello. It was a great moment because it was exactly why we were there, and I hope families across western NC heard our message and felt a little better.

Fentanyl money laundering

My second example is one I can’t tell you much about yet - but it’s coming.

As you know, people die from fentanyl in our state each day. For people my age and younger, it’s one of our leading causes of death.

Stopping that means fighting on multiple fronts. One of the biggest: money laundering. In other words, how the profits from fentanyl trafficking are cleaned and moved through the financial system to keep the operation going.

The good news is that our state recently passed an anti-money laundering law. I’m the first AG in North Carolina with that tool.

So in my first couple of months on the job, I had extensive meetings with federal and state law enforcement about this. Then I took what I learned, brought it to my team, and we worked out a plan.

Then I took it to other AGs. They are reviewing it as you read this.

Soon, I’m going to share a lot more with you about fentanyl money laundering. It is massive in scope, likely more than $100 million per week. That means that disrupting these financial networks isn’t optional - it’s essential.

I’ll keep you posted.

Three wins

• My first official action as AG was to take six mega-landlords to court for using RealPage AI software to unlawfully raise people’s rents. Well, the first of those settled with us last week. It was a good win for thousands of renters across the state. More to come.

• We reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with a pharmaceutical company for its role in fueling the opioid crisis. That money will support addiction treatment in communities across our state.

• Marisa joined me for the inaugural ball, which was rescheduled from January due to weather. As you can see from this photo, I won.

Best,

Jeff Jackson

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