Wilmington man pleads not guilty to Federal Illegal Voting charges

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man with a prior felony child pornography conviction has pleaded not guilty to three federal charges related to illegal voting.

Thirty-six-year-old James Osborne was convicted in federal court in Virginia in 2021 of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to three years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release.

Prosecutors say Osborne was still serving supervised release when he registered to vote and cast ballots in North Carolina.

A federal grand jury indicted Osborne on three counts connected to voting in November 2024, registering to vote in November 2025 and voting again in February 2026.

Osborne entered not-guilty pleas Thursday during an arraignment in Wilmington. A trial date has not yet been set.

According to prosecutors, Osborne was not eligible to vote because of his felony conviction and supervised release status.

If convicted, Osborne could face up to five years in federal prison on each charge.

Osborne’s case previously drew attention because he lived with former New Hanover County school board candidate Rick Southerland. Southerland later dropped out of the school board race after Osborne’s case became public.