Former NC lawmaker and former Mooresville commissioner face embezzlement charges

RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) - A former state lawmaker and a former Mooresville town commissioner were indicted by a grand jury in Wake County Thursday morning and now face charges tied to embezzling funds from a politically focused nonprofit.

Court records from search warrants tied to the investigation show money from the nonprofit was spent at companies that operate strip clubs, vacation rentals and a men’s health clinic.

Wake County court records show former State Representative Jason Saine is facing four felony charges, including two charges of obtaining property under false pretense and two charges of embezzlement over $100,000.

Former Mooresville commissioner David Coble is facing five felony charges, which includes the same four charges Saine is facing and one additional charge of embezzlement under $100,000.

According to the indictment, Saine is not accused of the embezzlement but aiding and abetting Coble. In a statement sent to WBTV, Saine said he did not commit any crime and looks forward to clearing his name.

The charges are related to the nonprofit Greater Carolina, Inc., which Coble was the Treasurer of and Saine helped create in 2018, according to search warrants filed by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The indictments claim 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.”

Search warrants filed by the SBI earlier in 2026 show that a credit card for Greater Carolina assigned to Coble was used at numerous locations that interested SBI investigators.

• Two companies in the adult entertainment business.
• 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 Panters related events.
• A vacation rental in to Outer Banks.
• A hotel in Boca Raton, Florida.

According to one of the search warrants, “payments totaling in excess of $400,000” were tied to the Greater Carolina credit card.

The investigation into Greater Carolina, Inc. started after an ethics complaint was filed against the entity following a bourbon trip to Kentucky with state lawmakers and lobbyists in 2024.

Coble was involved in the development of a Mooresville community and 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 also serves as an Area Advovacy Manager for Charlotte’s Real Estate and Business Industry Coalition.

WBTV tried reaching David Coble and Jason Saine for comment.

In a text message, Saine wrote to WBTV the following statement.

“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,” Saine 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,” Saine wrote.

Coble directed all inquiries to attorney Mark Jones. Jones did not respond to WBTV by publication of this report.