NC court upholds conviction of former lawmaker

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina appellate judges have upheld the conviction of former state Rep. Thomas Wright on three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses.

Wright was found guilty in April 2008 and sent to prison on charges he mishandled charity contributions and fraudulently obtained a $150,000 loan. A three-judge panel on the North Carolina Court of Appeals said Tuesday Wright received a fair trial.

Wright is serving six to eight years for the crime. The Wilmington Democrat was the first sitting member of the General Assembly to be expelled from office in 128 years.

A jury in August 2008 also found Wright guilty of felony obstruction of justice for preventing election officials from enforcing campaign finance laws by failing to report campaign contributions.

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