RALEIGH — A Wilmington businessman politically connected to former Gov. Mike Easley resigned Monday from the state toll road authority, days after a former Easley aide was indicted on charges of unlawfully profiting from a development involving the businessman.

Lanny Wilson sent his letter resigning from the North Carolina Turnpike Authority board of directors to Senate leader Marc Basnight, D-Dare, who had picked him for the panel. Wilson, who was the authority’s vice chairman, didn’t give a reason for his departure in the three-sentence letter.

Last Thursday, Wilson resigned from the state Board of Transportation because he wanted to “avoid further unnecessary distractions” that would impede Gov. Beverly Perdue’s transportation reforms, according to his resignation letter.

The Board of Transportation letter was released hours before a federal grand jury indicted former Easley aide Ruffin Poole on 51 federal corruption charges, including extortion, bribery and money laundering. Poole was Easley’s former special counsel and aide during the governor’s two terms.

Government prosecutors allege Poole accepted gifts from a “Wilmington financier” unidentified in the indictment. The indictment said Easley appointed the financier to the transportation board in 2001, just as Wilson was. Wilson was the only board member from Wilmington.

Poole also used his position to help expedite coastal developments while making returns of at least 25 percent on investments in two of the same properties the financier had invested in as well, according to prosecutors. Wilson had been identified years ago as helping finance the sale of Cannonsgate in Carteret County, one of the developments named in the indictment.

Wilson’s lawyer didn’t return a phone call seeking comment. Poole hadn’t turned himself to federal authorities as of Monday.

Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, had released a statement Monday before Wilson’s resignation calling on him to step down from the turnpike authority or Perdue to force him out.

“This resignation is long overdue, and should have been demanded by Governor Perdue long ago,” state GOP chairman Tom Fetzer said in a news release.

Wilson had raised money for Easley and Perdue’s campaigns. At a news conference, Fetzer called on Perdue to look further at Wilson’s campaign fundraising activities and asked why Perdue hadn’t called on Wilson’s resignation from the Board of Transportation months ago.

Wilson was reappointed to the Board of Transportation during the Easley administration but Perdue had never acted on whether to appoint him again, so he remained on the board in the meantime.

During a State Board of Elections hearing in October investigating Easley’s campaign committee, Wilson testified he wrote a check for the state Democratic Party believing it would go to help Easley’s campaign. Donations can’t be earmarked or funneled to another campaign.

Wilson hasn’t been charged with any crimes. The elections board didn’t accuse the state party of wrongdoing but the party had to forfeit a Wilson donation.

Fetzer’s comments “are nothing more than an attempt to score cheap political points,” state Democratic Party Chairman Young said.

Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said that Perdue has made it clear she would force the governor’s appointees to boards and commissions to resign if they are indicted or refuse to cooperate in an investigation.