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.

A criminal investigation into state Rep. Thomas Wright should be wrapped up by Oct. 1, a Wake County prosecutor said Tuesday.

Wright, a Wilmington Democrat close to former House Speaker Jim Black, is under investigation for what could be a fraudulent real estate deal, Sarah Ovaska reports.

"We do hope to have the investigative part done by Oct. 1," said David Sherlin, a Wake assistant district attorney.

The State Bureau of Investigation was asked to look into Wright's dealings by the Wake County District Attorney's Office, according to a search warrant made public this week but executed in June.

Wright's political future has been in jeopardy since this spring, when the State Board of Elections said that he failed to report more that $200,000 in political contribution and several leading Democrats called for his resignation.

Wright did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Former House Speaker Jim Black is scheduled to be sentenced on state charges July 31.

The sentencing is set for 9:30 a.m., Wake prosecutor David Sherlin says.

Black is to be sentenced on felony charges of bribery and obstructing justice. Black pleaded guilty to the state charges in February.

He faces anywhere from probation to 22 months in prison on the two state charges.

Former state lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings was found guilty of a lobbying law violation in state court today and will be banned from lobbying in North Carolina for the next two years.

Geddings, 42, a former Charlotte public relations executive, was not in court to enter the plea. He will enter federal prison in the coming weeks to serve a four-year sentence for federal convictions related to hiding his ties to lottery vendor Scientific Games, Dan Kane reports.

His attorney, Tommy Manning of Raleigh, entered what is known as an Alford plea in court, said Wake Assistant District Attorney David Sherlin. An Alford plea allows defendants to maintain innocence but to nonetheless plead guilty because they see no other favorable alternative.

While Geddings would have been unlikely to work as a lobbyist while serving in prison, he has appealed his federal sentence. 

More after the jump.

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