NC Candidate Sues Political Group Over Illegal Gambling Allegations

Charles Taylor, a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives, has sued a political group for defamation for running campaign ads that tied him to an allegedly illegal gambling operation. The Republican candidate says the Sandhills Citizens Alliance (SCA) falsely accused him of running a casino and being the subject of a state ethics investigation. Charles Taylor Challenges Campaign Ads Linking Him to Illegal Gambling The suit was filed October 27 in Lee County Superior Court by Taylor, a Sanford City Council member running in House District 51. He says the group distributed campaign mailers making false statements about his ties to a Sanford commercial property, reported The News & Observer. One ad accused Taylor of running an illegal gambling operation, operating a casino near a local middle school, and being investigated by state ethics officials. Similar charges were also published on the website of the organization. Taylor acknowledges that he owns the building in which the gambling operation is being run. However, he asserts that his only role is that of landlord and that he has no ownership interest in the tenant’s business. When Taylor bought the property for $60,000 in December 2025, he was told there was a tenant already in place, the complaint says. He kept the existing rental agreement but did not take over the business or its equipment. The suit states the ads “intentionally misrepresented” information from two news reports that the group cited. Taylor says the original report identified him as the owner of the property, not the operator of the gambling operation. Taylor Accuses Political Group of Damaging His Election Campaign The complaint also denies that Taylor is the subject of an ethics investigation. On October 9, a private citizen lodged a complaint about his financial disclosure statement. However, as of October 15, Taylor said the State Ethics Commission had not launched a formal investigation. The candidate’s lawyers say the charges wrongly tie him to criminal activity and have hurt his reputation. They also say the controversy has forced Taylor to spend time and resources during the campaign defending himself, instead of talking to voters. Taylor is seeking at least $25,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages. On October 21, his legal team had sent a cease-and-desist letter to SCA demanding that the organization retract the claims and issue a correction. The group reportedly failed to meet the October 23 deadline. SCA has denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit a ploy to distract from the questions about Taylor’s candidacy. The group also said its campaign materials relied on previously published news reporting. The legal representative said political speech about candidates for office is protected under the Constitution. The row comes after previous reporting on Taylor’s commercial property. The Assembly’s investigation on October 13, connected the building to a game room that reportedly had 22 slot machines. Commercial slot-machine gambling is illegal in North Carolina, where legal casino gambling is restricted to the state’s three tribal casinos. Taylor previously said he leased the property to a tenant and answered questions on why it was not on his financial disclosure statement. The controversy has since become a central issue in the final days of his election campaign. Taylor won the GOP primary in March against Lee County school board member Sherry Lynn Womack. He is now running against Independent April Montgomery for the District 51 seat, which covers Lee County and part of Moore County. The election will be held on November 3, 2026.