A state lawmaker and a Midlands Technical College commissioner are upset.

The college accepted $250,000 to name a northeast campus building for a convicted felon.

The Chronicle has asked the MTC President for comment on the agreement.

The donor, Eugene Francis Haas, 68, is founder, president and sole stockholder of Haas Automation, a CNC machine tool manufacturer, according to Wikipedia.

According to Wikipedia:

• IRS agents arrested Haas June 19, 2006, and charged him with filing false tax returns, witness intimidation and conspiracy.

4 others were indicted and pleaded guilty.

• Before Haas was to go to trial, he agreed to plead guilty to felony conspiracy to commit tax evasion.

• He was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $75 million in restitution.

• Haas was incarcerated in January 2008 and was released on probation May 7, 2009 after serving 16 months of his sentence.

According to wealthypersons.com, Haas, his foundation and enterprises are valued at $300 million.

Haas and his foundation have given millions of dollars to community and technical colleges in SC and elsewhere in the this country.

Midlands Tech commissioners met in a closed executive session Wednesday to discuss the situation, MTC Commissioner Jake Knotts told the Chronicle.

Knotts said the college accepted the money on the condition it named its campus building for Haas without doing a background check.

“It’s all there on Wikipedia, Knotts said.

Knotts said he opposed accepting the money and naming the campus for Haas.

“He’s a convicted felon,” said Knotts, a former police officer and state senator.

State Sen. Katrina Shealy said she opposed the decision and will introduce for the 3rd time a bill to ban naming public facilities of any kind for living people.

Knotts said the names of former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts, former Transportation Commissioner John Hardee and former Sen. John Courson had to removed at taxpayers’ expense from public places after they were convicted.

“We shouldn’t be naming anything after anybody convicted of crimes,” he said.