{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nStephen Alexander LaRoque filed as a Republican candidate for Lenoir County Board of Commissioners, District 2, in the 2026 election cycle [4]. He does not currently hold public office.\n\n## Background and education\n\nLaRoque was born August 15, 1963, and lives in Kinston, Lenoir County, North Carolina [1][2]. He earned a B.S.B.A. in finance from East Carolina University and an MBA from the East Carolina University Graduate School of Business [2]. According to the North Carolina voter file, he has been registered to vote in Lenoir County since 1992 as a Republican [5].\n\n## Career\n\nLaRoque worked in finance for NCNB/NationsBank from 1986 to 1992, rising to assistant vice-president and city manager, before moving into nonprofit economic and community development work. He founded and led East Carolina Development Company and Piedmont Development Company, Kinston-based nonprofits, and continued to work as a consultant to other community-development organizations [2].\n\n## Office history\n\nLaRoque represented North Carolina House District 10 \u2014 covering Greene, Lenoir, and Wayne counties \u2014 in two non-consecutive stretches: January 2003 to January 2007, and January 2011 to August 2012 [1]. He won election in 2002, 2004, and 2010, lost to Democrat Van Braxton in 2008, and lost the May 2012 Republican primary to John Bell after being indicted on federal charges [1][2].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\n\nLaRoque was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of misappropriating money from a federal loan program administered through a Kinston nonprofit he ran; prosecutors alleged he redirected loans intended for small businesses in underserved rural areas [1]. He resigned from the North Carolina House in July 2012 after the indictment [1]. He was originally convicted on 12 counts including theft, money laundering, and filing false tax returns, but all but two counts were later set aside by a federal judge due to juror misconduct and a new trial was ordered; LaRoque then pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting theft [1]. Prosecutors said he took $2.7 million in federal funds; he pleaded guilty to stealing $150,000 for his personal benefit and said the money was deferred salary he was owed, which he intended to repay after receiving an inheritance [3]. He was released from federal prison in May 2017 after serving one year and nine months [1][3].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Stephen A. LaRoque - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._LaRoque) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n\n[2] [Stephen LaRoque - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Stephen_LaRoque) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n\n[3] [\"Stephen LaRoque serves time, released from federal prison\" - WCTI](http://www.wcti12.com/news/local-news/lenoir/stephen-laroque-serves-time-released-from-federal-prison/500080989) (2017-05-15) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n\n[4] North Carolina State Board of Elections, 2026 Candidate Filing listing (`Candidate_Listing_2026.csv`) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n\n[5] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","county":"lenoir","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Lenoir County Board Of Commissioners District 02"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Stephen","fullname":"Stephen Alexander Laroque","lastname":"Laroque","middlename":"Alexander","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Lenoir County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"lenoir","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"lenoir","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"lenoir","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_02","contest_title":"Lenoir County Board Of Commissioners District 02","county":"lenoir","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"lenoir","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Per the NC voter file: REP voter in Lenoir County since 1992.","terms":[],"token":"c139f239c858786d"}