For THE PAPER
A Burke County grand jury has indicted Stanley Travis Stancil, organizer for Morganton’s controversial Dancing With the Stars event, on six felony charges tied to fundraising events promoted as charity benefits in Burke and Catawba counties — events that investigators say funneled most of their proceeds directly to him.
Stancil, 29, of Boynton Beach, Fla., faces two counts of obtaining property by false pretense and four counts of embezzlement, according to court documents filed in Burke County Superior Court earlier this month.
An order for Stancil’s arrest was issued on Oct. 16, 2025, by Burke County Superior Court.
The Class H felony charges (obtaining property by false pretense, embezzlement by agent/fiduciary) stem from events branded as “Dancing With the Burke Stars” and “Dancing With the Catawba Valley Stars” between September 2023 and May 2024.
Attempts to reach Stancil or his legal representatives were unsuccessful Monday evening.
The indictment alleges Stancil misrepresented his productions as charitable events, convincing sponsors, performers, and community members that proceeds would benefit nonprofit causes.
Instead, prosecutors allege, Stancil pocketed most of the money raised.
As prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney D. Dellinger signed the indictment. Grand Jury Foreperson, Frances Robinson, certified the True Bill on Oct. 8, 2025, indicating that 12 or more jurors concurred.
In one count, jurors found probable cause that Stancil used the name of a nonprofit organization — Your Big Break, Inc. — to obtain a discounted rental rate at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. The venue, owned by Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, offers a reduced rate for registered charities.
Investigators say the production was actually managed through Stance Productions, LLC, a for-profit company controlled by Stancil.
Stancil, according to the indictment, intended “to cheat and defraud … by means of false pretense which was calculated to deceive” J.E. Broyhill Civic Center
The Grand Jury found that Stancil “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously” intended “to obtain U.S. Currency from residents of Burke County and Catawba County by advertising the shows Dancing With the Burke Stars and Dancing With the Catawba Valley Stars as charity shows, when in fact the majority of the proceeds from the show went directly to Travis Stancil.”
Specifically, the indictment stated that Stancil did “knowingly misapply and convey to his own use, and with the intent to embezzle and fraudulently and knowingly misapply and convert to his own use” monies provided by Debra Benfield, Kristie Anderson, and Brian Stamey for the production of Dancing With the Burke Stars.
Additional funds were reportedly taken from sponsors and participants who believed they were contributing to charity, according to the indictment.
Court filings describe Stancil as an “agent and fiduciary” of the productions who “knowingly and fraudulently converted funds to his own use.”
On October 16, Assistant Clerk of Superior Court Jada Isenhour, on behalf of Burke Clerk of Superior Court Crystal Carpenter, issued an Order for Arrest authorizing law enforcement to take Stancil into custody. The order cites the True Bill of Indictment as its basis and directs officers to bring Stancil before a judicial official for a bond determination.
If the warrant is not served within 180 days, the court requires it to be returned with an explanation for non-service.
A Notice of Return of Bill of Indictment was also filed, notifying Stancil of the charges and his right to request formal arraignment within 21 days. If no request is filed, a not guilty plea will automatically be entered on his behalf.
The case will proceed in Burke County Superior Court, with arraignment and trial dates to be scheduled.
This is an ongoing story.
