Former N.C. Legislator Gets 2 Years for Nonprofit Theft

An ex-North Carolina state representative was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for stealing $150,000 from a federally backed small-business nonprofit he founded and led, reports the Associated Press.

Stephen LaRoque was also ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution to the U.S. Agriculture Department, which provided loans to rural businesses via his East Carolina Development Company.

Mr. LaRoque pleaded guilty to a single theft count in January, with other charges in his July 2012 indictment being dismissed. Prosecutors said the former legislator, who left office in 2013 after losing a re-election bid the previous year, arranged money transfers described as loans from the nonprofit to a management firm he controlled.