Wright due back in court Monday

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:23:17 -0400

Former Rep. Thomas Wright is scheduled to be back in court Monday.

Wright, a Democrat who represented part of the Wilmington area, has a procedural hearing in Wake Superior Court set for 10 a.m. The hearing relates to an outstanding felony charge of obstruction of justice, and it could result in a judge setting a trial date, said Assistant District Attorney David Sherlin, David Ingram reports.

"We do expect Representative Wright to be here," Sherlin said.

Wright, 52, is in Pamlico Correctional Institution, serving a prison term of at least five years and 10 months. A jury found him guilty in April of three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. Wright fraudulently obtained a $150,000 loan and put $7,400 in charitable contributions in his own pocket, jurors found.

A grand jury in December also charged Wright with obstruction of justice. Investigators said he failed to report as much as $185,000 in campaign contributions, as required by state campaign-finance laws. Wright has said he did nothing wrong and that he is pleading not guilty to all charges.

In March, the N.C. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to expel Wright for violating ethics rules — the first expulsion in Raleigh since 1880. Wright, once among the House's most influential members, had refused to resign.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the plea.

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Wright due back in court Monday