County prosecutor in Va. admits spy job
Friday - 3/22/2013, 11:11am  ET
BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- Caroline County's commonwealth attorney has been disciplined for using an undercover paralegal to spy on a lawyer who filed a professional complaint against him.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/YvBNON) reports Friday that Anthony G. "Tony" Spencer received a public reprimand from the Virginia State Bar's disciplinary board for violating professional rules of conduct.
Spencer acknowledges he "made a mistake," although he said his intentions were good.
The spying involved a Richmond attorney Spencer had faced in a 2010 trial. The opposing attorney, John LaFratta, filed a complaint with the bar disputing a claim Spencer had made at trial.
Spencer later sent a paralegal to LaFratta's office posing as a student to investigate the claim.
A public reprimand is a lesser punishment than the suspension or revocation of a law license.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com
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