Former state Rep. Jason Saine faces four felony counts: two of obtaining property under false pretenses and two of embezzlement over $100,000. Former Mooresville commissioner David Coble faces five felony counts — the same four plus an additional charge of embezzlement under $100,000.

The charges center on Greater Carolina, Inc., a nonprofit that Saine helped create in 2018 and for which Coble served as treasurer, according to search warrants filed by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The indictment alleges that money was solicited for Greater Carolina with the promise of "promoting State policies in favor of business and free enterprise, when in fact the money raised was used for his (Coble) and others' personal benefit." According to the indictment, Saine is not accused of the embezzlement itself but of aiding and abetting Coble.

Search warrants filed earlier this year by the SBI show that a Greater Carolina credit card assigned to Coble was used at a range of businesses that drew investigators' attention: two companies in the adult entertainment industry, a men's clinic in Mooresville specializing in "treating erectile disfunction and other sexual related medical issues," the Giorgio Armani store in Beverly Hills, California, two Carolina Panthers-related events, a vacation rental in the Outer Banks and a hotel in Boca Raton, Florida. One warrant stated that "payments totaling in excess of $400,000" were tied to the Greater Carolina credit card.

The investigation began after an ethics complaint was filed against the nonprofit following a 2024 bourbon trip to Kentucky involving state lawmakers and lobbyists.

In a text message to a reporter, Saine denied any criminal conduct. "I do not understand why I have been charged in this case. The indictment claims that I 'aided and abetted' a crime committed by someone else – I did not do that," he wrote. "This organization has an independent board that decided what and where to spend its money, and how to raise it. I was not involved in those decisions, as I told the State. I did not commit any crime and I look forward to clearing my name."

Coble directed inquiries to his attorney, Mark Jones, who did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

Coble was involved in the development of a Mooresville community and the subsequent construction of the Timber Road extension. That extension was supposed to be paid for by the developer but was ultimately covered by state taxpayers after $15 million to fund its construction was added to the state budget. Coble formerly served as an area advocacy manager for Charlotte's Real Estate and Business Industry Coalition.

The indictments raise fresh questions about the intersection of political fundraising, lobbying and personal spending in Raleigh — and about how a nonprofit marketed as a champion of business-friendly policy came to be scrutinized for expenses that appear to have little to do with that mission. For Mooresville residents, the case also touches on a former local official whose development work and public service have long been part of the town's growth story.

Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The case is expected to proceed in Wake County Superior Court.