NEW HANOVER COUNTY — As the county’s former chairwoman was battling legals issues with the North Carolina State Bar over mismanaging a client’s funds, it became a point of contention during her family’s European vacation this summer.
Port City Daily’s media partner, WHQR — and former PCD editor Benjamin Schachtman — reported the chair left her family in Rome after she didn’t show up to court in Wake County to turn over financial documents. Olson-Boseman was held in contempt and faced possible jail time.
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Shachtman secured an interview with the chair’s wife, Angie — a social worker for New Hanover County — while she was still in Italy. Angie said Olson-Boseman used Angie’s credit cards to support a new party bus venture without her knowledge (the chairwoman was authorized to use the cards).
She said Olson-Boseman also moved a significant amount of funds — $118,000 as revealed in followup testimony in court — from their joint banking account. Olson-Boseman booked a flight to depart the vacation a day early, upgrading her and her son’s seats, without Angie or her child onboard, the wife alleged.
When posting his report to his personal social media account, Schachtman clarified: “Under most circumstances, the personal life of public figures isn’t something I cover. But in this case, the financial behavior seems part of a pattern and — for many I’ve spoken with — poses questions about the decision making ability of one of region’s most powerful elected local officials.”
The news director continued to follow the story, obtaining court records from the family’s October appearance. Family court Judge Elizabeth Keever asked Olson-Boseman to provide a record of how she spent the money from her personal or joint accounts from June 1 and August 31. More details can be found on the followup story here.
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