LEESBURG, Va. – There will be no criminal charges against Loudoun County Supervisor Eugene DelGaudio, R-Sterling.
After a four-month investigation, Arlington County Commonweath’s Attorney Theo Stamos, the special prosecutor in the case, asked the special grand jury not to indict DelGaudio.
The supervisor had been accused of using his staff, who were paid by the county, to raise funds for his political campaign.
DelGaudio issued a brief statement to the media after the grand jury’s 19-page report was released. He thanked his family and constituents for support.
“If there is a political lesson here, it is we should attempt to settle our political differences civilly and through debate, not by attempting to diminish one’s opponent by falsely accusing them of misconduct,” DelGaudio said in the statement.
His attorney, Charles King, advised him not to say any more.
“There’s still a potential of action by the board of supervisors, so until that issue’s resolved, I’ve advised him not to make additional comments,” King said.
The possible action King referred to could be an internal ethics investigation.
King also would not let DelGaudio answer a question about a recall petition local democrats have now started against him.
The 19-page report from the grand jury was critical of Delgaudio, indicating he might have been charged if they could have found a way to do so. The grand jury believes state code that would have made what DelGaudio was accused of doing illegal does not apply to him because he is a part-time county employee. The grand jury, which heard from 31 witnesses before issuing the report, recommended that Virginia’s General Assembly change the law to allow for it in the future.
DelGaudio is not up for re-election until 2015.
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