Convicted sex offender appears in federal court for alleged illegal voting

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — A convicted sex offender at the center of a local school board election controversy appeared in federal court Tuesday, where testimony detailed allegations that he illegally voted while on supervised release.

James Osborne is accused of making false statements on voter registration forms and a ballot after allegedly voting in the 2024 election at Belville Elementary School.

During the hearing, an FBI special agent testified that Osborne admitted to lying about his status as a convicted felon on voter registration documents.

Osborne was previously sentenced in 2021 to three years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography in Virginia. The FBI agent testified Osborne was found with 180 images of child pornography.

Osborne’s parole officer also testified, saying Osborne had been instructed not to go on school grounds or attend campaign events. The officer further testified that Osborne tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana multiple times between December 2023 and May 2025.

Earlier this month, Osborne told WWAY he had spoken with school board candidate Rick Southerland about how his past could affect the campaign.

“It wasn’t like a full in-depth conversation or anything like that, it was like well ‘I understand how that could look and how that would be received but given context, I think it would be okay because at the end of the day you are a person running on your record,’” Osborne said.

One day after that interview, it was revealed that Osborne had voted. He previously told WWAY he was unaware of North Carolina law prohibiting felons from voting while on supervised release.

Southerland was present in court at the request of the defense.

A judge ruled there is probable cause to move the case forward to a grand jury. Osborne will remain detained.