Stephen LaRoque, state representative, appears to have some explaining to do — to federal officials, to the Internal Revenue Service and most of all to the people in Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties that he represents in the General Assembly.

An N.C. Policy Watch investigation published this week found that Laroque has been making as much as $195,000 a year running two non-profits that administer a federal loan program for small businesses. Not bad for a politician who loves to rail against the evils of big government.

The report also found that Laroque made loans to political allies and friends, including two fellow Republican legislators, and that his wife and brother are members of the boards that are supposed to oversee LaRoque's management of millions of dollars of federal money.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.