Tag: virginia

Revealed: NY Attorney General Letitia James Declares Virginia Home Her ‘Principal Residence’

Letitia James, New York’s Attorney General, has built her career on exposing deception. But a quiet real estate transaction in Norfolk, Virginia—carried out just weeks before the Trump fraud trial she championed—now raises serious questions about her own compliance with New York law.

A declaration buried in legal filings states her intent to make a Virginia house her principal residence:

“I HEREBY DECLARE that I intend to occupy this property as my principal residence.”

Those words appear in black and white in a Specific Power of Attorney, signed by James and filed in Norfolk on August 17, 2023, authorizing her relative Shamice Thompson-Hairston to act on her behalf in a transaction that included the declaration. They were not written by a lawyer acting on James’ behalf. They were her words. Her intent. Her signature.

This signed power of attorney is a smoking gun on its own, completely separate from how the mortgage might be interpreted. It stands as a clear declaration of intent from a sitting New York Attorney General to establish principal residency in another state.

While joint ownership arrangements sometimes involve owners with different primary residences, this case is different. The declaration in the power of attorney specifically states James’s intention to make the property her principal residence, and the mortgage requires both borrowers to establish residency. This raises questions about whether such a declaration was made primarily to secure preferential mortgage terms.

Importantly, this is not an isolated incident—discrepancies in James’s mortgage filings appear to follow a longer-term pattern, raising broader questions about disclosure consistency.

If James never intended to make the Norfolk property her principal residence despite signing a document explicitly stating that intention, the declaration may constitute misrepresentation under federal fraud statutes. This would be particularly problematic for someone who has prosecuted others for similar misrepresentations in property matters.

And this declaration came at a remarkable moment. Because on October 2—less than seven weeks later—James would take to the courtroom steps in Manhattan to announce the start of her landmark civil fraud case against Donald Trump. The trial would span months and dominate headlines. James would be in New York nearly every day.

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Biden-Appointed U.S. Attorney Who Was Found Dead Led High-Profile Investigations Into CIA Leaks and Russian Fraud Cases

Jessica Aber, a Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney who was found dead in her Virginia home this past weekend, was known for spearheading high-profile investigations into CIA intelligence leaks, war crime allegations tied to individuals linked with Russia, and suspects involved in transferring sensitive U.S. technology to Moscow.

Jessica Aber, 43, was found unresponsive on Saturday morning.

“This morning, at approximately 9:18 a.m., Alexandria Police responded to the 900 block of Beverley Drive for the report of an unresponsive woman. Officers located a deceased woman. Following notification of family members, the Alexandria Police Department can confirm the identity of the woman as Ms. Jessica Aber, age 43, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia,” police said.

Alexandria Police responded to a call about an unresponsive woman at Aber’s residence on Beverley Drive, Alexandria, Virginia.

Officers found her dead, and the department initiated an investigation as a matter of protocol, with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia tasked with determining the cause and manner of death.

A family friend told CBS News that her death is believed to be the result of a longstanding medical issue, and two former senior Justice Department officials informed NBC News that authorities have found no reason to suspect foul play.

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Biden-Appointed US Attorney Found Dead in Her Virginia Home

A Biden-era US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead in her Alexandria, Virginia, home on Saturday morning.

The cause and manner of death is unknown.

Jessica Aber, 43, was found unresponsive on Saturday morning. Her death is under investigation.

“This morning, at approximately 9:18 a.m., Alexandria Police responded to the 900 block of Beverley Drive for the report of an unresponsive woman. Officers located a deceased woman. Following notification of family members, the Alexandria Police Department can confirm the identity of the woman as Ms. Jessica Aber, age 43, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
As a matter of protocol, an investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of death,” the Alexandria Police Department said in a statement.

The US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia released a statement on Jessica Aber’s passing:

“We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber. She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being. We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard. Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia will look to her example and endeavor to live up to that standard. Jess was a proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career. She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back. We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted.”

Jessica Aber was a lead prosecutor in the high profile case against a former ABC journalist who went missing after the FBI raided his home and seized his laptop pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges.

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Virginia Governor’s Veto Of Marijuana Sales Bill Would Erase Millions In Revenue For Pre-K And Drug Treatment, State Report Shows

With Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) widely expected to veto a lawmaker-passed plan to legalize retail marijuana sales in the commonwealth, a new fiscal impact statement makes clear that rejecting the proposal would mean missing out on tens of millions of dollars in annual state revenue—including for pre-kindergarten programs, community reinvestment and substance use treatment.

Annual government revenue would begin at an estimated $7.3 million in fiscal year 2026, according to the Department of Taxation, rising steadily as the regulated system got off the ground. By fiscal year 2031, the figure is projected to climb to an annual $87.84 million.

All told, by the end of fiscal 2031, retail cannabis is expected to bring Virginia nearly $300 million in total revenue.

The income would come from an 8 percent excise tax on marijuana sales and a 1.125 percent sales tax imposed under the legislation, from Sen. Aaron Rouse (D) and Rep. Paul Krizek (D).

The numbers were published on Friday in a report from the state Department of Planning and Budget.

The top-level revenue projection does not include separate, local taxes of up to 2.5 percent. Depending on how broadly municipalities implement those taxes, they could bring in up to $2 million statewide in fiscal 2026, rising to an estimated $24.09 million by fiscal 2031.

The bulk of the state money would go to community reinvestment. The Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund would receive an estimated $1.92 million in fiscal 2026, which would rise to $46.26 million in fiscal 2031.

Money would also go to preventing and treating substance use disorders. That would be about $1.92 million in fiscal 2026, rising to $19.27 in fiscal 2031.

Revenue would also fund pre-kindergarten programs (beginning at $2.56 million initially and rising to $7.72 million annually in fiscal 2031), public health programs ($320,000 initially and rising to $3.85 million in fiscal 2031) and other initiatives.

In terms of how the revenue is divided, that would change over time. Until fiscal 2027, 40 percent would fund pre-K, 30 percent would go to the reinvestment fund, 25 percent would go toward substance use disorders and 5 percent would fund public health programs. After that, 10 percent would go to pre-K, 60 percent to community reinvestment, 25 percent to substance use disorders and 5 percent to public health.

As for costs, preparing for and administering a regulated retail sales program would cost several million dollars per year—about $9.37 million total in fiscal 2026 and an estimated $9.26 annually after that.

Licensing fees for marijuana businesses would pay the bulk of administrative costs at the Cannabis Control Authority (CCA), which would regulate the adult-use retail system. During its first year, however, some funds would also need to come from the state general fund.

New expenses at CCA would include 73 more staff members as well as technology and equipment, vehicles and travel.

The Department of Taxation, meanwhile, would incur estimated costs of $468,950 during the first fiscal year of operation in order to update forms and internal systems.

State Police, meanwhile, would incur just over $200,000 annually to hire two additional staff members to conduct fingerprinting and background checks.

Despite the fiscal impact report indicating that legalizing retail sales could bring Virginia hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue over the next several years, the state’s governor is widely expected to veto the lawmaker-passed bills.

Youngkin vetoed a nearly identical proposal last legislative session, and his office has said he’s inclined to do the same this year.

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DA Refuses to Prosecute Trans Sex Offender Who Previously Exposed Himself at 2 Schools, 3 Rec Centers, Say Police

Richard Kenneth Cox, 58, is a registered sex offender.

According to a March 3 report from WJLA-TV, Cox faces 12 counts in Arlington County, Virginia, of being a sex offender in proximity to children, three counts of a sex offender entering a school or child day care center, four counts of indecent exposure, two counts of taking indecent liberties with children, and one count of identity theft. His next hearing is on May 23, 2025.

Cox’s public defender wanted the hearing closed, WJLA reported. The judge asked the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney whether they had an opinion on this and they didn’t. The judge asked why the public defender wanted the hearing closed. After that, the motion was withdrawn.

One might have asked why the Arlington County attorney didn’t have an opinion on the matter. Then again, prosecutors in Northern Virginia have plenty of blame to share for the fact that Cox was still out on the street — particularly since, in neighboring Fairfax County, the top prosecutor refused to go after the registered sex offender after he allegedly committed indecent exposure in a Planet Fitness women’s restroom.

Now, after allegedly exposing himself at two schools and three recreational centers on 10 different occasions since the previous charges against him were dropped, prosecutors seem to be playing a different tune. If only they’d have done so back in 2024.

Cox, WJLA reported, identifies as transgender; however, this seems to be one of the few cases in which the media is willing to address someone who very obviously looks like a male and is a male as a male, despite calling himself transgender — perhaps because, as the station reported last month, he’s “also a registered sex offender who has a lengthy criminal record.”

However, the alleged “indecent exposure” happened inside a Planet Fitness in Falls Church, Virginia, in June of 2024 — and Planet Fitness has a policy that allowed a registered child sex offender into whatever bathroom he pleases: “All members, including transgender members, may use Planet Fitness locker room facilities, bathrooms, showers, and all other facilities/programs separated by sex based on their self-reported gender identity.”

And apparently, to have stuff like this happen to them, according to this criminal complaint by an unnamed woman:

“I went to Planet Fitness in Falls Church on June 6, and around 4:30 p.m., I went to the restroom,” the complaint read. “I used the stall. Once I was finished, I went to wash my hands, and as soon as I was finished [with] my hands, I tried to walk out. I was startled by a man naked right in front of me in the restroom. I panicked and ran out to see if I’m in the right restroom. I looked at the sign outside the restroom and it was the female restroom.”

Another Fairfax County resident named Lyndsey, no last name given, said she canceled her gym membership because of Cox’s presence.

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Governor Youngkin’s expected cannabis veto: A $3.5 billion gift to Mexican cartels and Chinese gangs

As Governor Glenn Youngkin once again faces a bipartisan bill that would establish a regulated cannabis distribution platform in Virginia, it is widely anticipated that he will act against the public’s interest just as he did in March 2024. In the twelve months since his last veto, the only certainty is that Mexican cartels and Chinese gangs have benefited from $3.5 billion in untaxed, unregulated cannabis sales while the proliferation of hemp-based THC products has skyrocketed. We anticipate that Youngkin will once again roll out his prohibitionist arguments but will fail to point to any tangible decrease in illegal cannabis sales the over the last 12-month— further proving that gifting Mexican cartels and Chinese drug dealers $3.5 billion and allowing the proliferation of illegal stores from Arlington to the Tennessee state line has only benefited organized crime at the expense of Virginians.

Youngkin’s argument hinges on a fundamental contradiction. He acknowledges that Virginia’s current system is “pervasive and dangerous,” yet refuses to implement the one policy proven to reduce illegal markets — regulation. Instead, he clings to outdated scare tactics, misrepresenting data from other states while ignoring the realities of his own.

Prohibitionists once used the same flawed logic to keep whiskey illegal, relying on bootleggers to supply demand while enriching organized crime. The parallels to cannabis today are undeniable. By refusing to regulate cannabis, Youngkin is ensuring that the only suppliers are Mexican cartels and Chinese gangs, just as Prohibition once empowered the Mafia. This policy failure is not just historical irony — it is a $3.5 billion mistake.

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Virginia GOP Governor Claims Legalizing Marijuana Sales Would Harm Children And Increase Crime

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) emphasized during his State of the Commonwealth address that he’s not interested in cooperating with lawmakers to legalize marijuana sales in the state, claiming that doing so would hurt children, worsen mental health and increase violent crime.

“Strong communities work to prevent harmful drug use,” the governor said during the speech on Monday.

Use, possession and limited cultivation of cannabis by adults are already legal in Virginia, the result of a Democrat-led proposal approved by lawmakers in 2021. But Republicans, after winning control of the House and governor’s office later that year, subsequently blocked the required reenactment of a regulatory framework for retail sales. Since then, illicit stores have sprung up to meet consumer demand.

Supporters of regulating commercial sales in the state say the move would not create a cannabis market in Virginia but instead regulate the state’s existing illicit market, which some estimates value at nearly $3 billion. But Youngkin has rejected the idea, issuing a veto of a legal sales measure passed by lawmakers after Democrats retook control of the legislature last year.

“Everyone knows where I stand on establishing a retail marijuana market,” Youngkin said in his speech. “Let’s work together on other issues where we can find common ground.”

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FBI Discovers Largest Homemade Explosives Cache in History at Virginia Man’s Home — Allegedly Used Biden Photos for Target Practice

A Virginia man, Brad Spafford, 36, was arrested earlier this month after authorities discovered what they claim is the largest stockpile of homemade explosives in FBI history.

Spafford, who reportedly used images of Joe Biden for target practice, is being labeled by federal agents as an “extreme danger to the community.”

During a search of Spafford’s 20-acre property, authorities found over 150 homemade explosive devices, including pipe bombs labeled as “lethal.”

The arrest initially stemmed from a comparatively minor charge of possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle, Court Watch first reported.

In a sworn affidavit, an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agent alleged that Spafford had disfigured fingers from a homemade explosion dating back to July 4, 2021.

The agent also noted suspicions that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition for some time, making him a “clear and present danger.”

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Police Raid Pro-Palestine Students’ Home in FBI-Led Graffiti Investigation

In the early morning hours of November 7, more than 12 police officers showed up outside at an address in Springfield, Virginia, knocked, broke down the door, and raided the family home of two Palestinian American students at George Mason University.

University and Fairfax County police refused to show the family the warrant. One Fairfax County detective with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — cross-designated as a local and federal agent — was also present. The family and Mason faculty supporting them, however, believe they know what the FBI-led investigation was about: the young family members’ pro-Palestine activism.

Two of the Palestinian American family’s daughters attend George Mason. One is an undergraduate student and the co-president of Mason’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The other is in a master’s program at Mason and a former president of the school’s SJP chapter.

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Protective Nets To Shield F-22s Eyed For Airbase Swarmed By Mystery Drones

U.S. Air Force officials at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia are looking at installing anti-drone nets to help protect F-22 Raptor stealth fighters on the flightline. This comes nearly a year after the base was subjected to waves of still-mysterious drone incursions, which The War Zone was first to report. It also underscores the U.S. military’s continued lag when it comes to responding to the very real threats posed by uncrewed aerial systems, at home and aboard, and particular hurdles to doing so domestically.

Langley’s 633rd Contracting Squadron put out a notice on October 4 asking for information about potential counter-drone netting that could be installed around up to 42 existing open-ended sunshade-type shelters at the base. Langley, now technically part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, is one of a select few bases to host F-22s and is a key component of the Air Force’s posture to defend the U.S. homeland.

The 633rd “is in the process of determining the acquisition strategy to obtain non-personal services for the Unmanned Ariel Services (UAS) Netting for East Ramp Metal Sunshades,” according to the contracting notice. “The intention of the netting is to deter and ultimately prevent the intrusion of UAS’s near airmen and aircraft. This initial sunshade netting installation on the metal sunshade (bay Alpha 1) shall serve as a proof of concept for the remaining sunshades.”

The “netting should be capable of disabling a Group 1/ “Small” Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), such as the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, while remaining attached,” the notice explains. Per the U.S. military’s definitions, drones in Group 1 can have weights of up to 20 pounds, fly up to 1,200 feet, and reach speeds of up to 100 knots.

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