AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
Spending revealed in a State Bureau of Investigation search warrant is the latest evidence made public in a criminal investigation that began with accusations of drunken lawmakers on a Kentucky bourbon tour in 2024.
Read more Inside NC State basketball’s summer practice: What is coach Justin Gainey’s focus?
The group Greater Carolina hosted that trip. A July 1 warrant, issued by a judge at the request of the SBI, was seeking to find out more about what else the conservative, free-market group spent its money on, from payments to the Carolina Panthers, to a weeklong stay at a vacation rental in Emerald Isle, to purchases from two companies that own strip clubs.
WRAL-TV first reported the warrant seeking records on Greater Carolina’s bank account, which is at a Fidelity bank in Fuquay-Varina. The SBI investigation is looking for violations of the State Ethics Act and State Lobbying Act, “but we will go wherever the evidence leads us,” Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told The News & Observer in February, when the investigation began.
Four lobbyists were indicted in April, The News & Observer previously reported. A grand jury said they violated state restrictions on gifts to state lawmakers.
Read more Data centers are aiming for North Carolina. What would that mean locally?
The records sought in the latest warrant “may be evidence of conduct and activities constituting the crime of Obtaining Property by False Pretense by individuals associated with Greater Carolina,” an SBI agent wrote.
Here are key aspects of the warrant:
These are some of the purchases made on Greater Carolina’s American Express credit card:
Those purchases were made using a credit card assigned to David Coble, who was listed as the group’s treasurer. Coble is a Mooresville businessman, former town commissioner and ally of Saine who has appeared on his radio show.
Read more ‘Black buildup’ and ‘pink slime’ at Durham chain restaurant: latest inspections
This story was originally published July 21, 2026 at 3:26 PM.