Del. Morrissey is now facing new felony charges

[TexasTowelie]

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia lawmaker who was just re-elected despite being jailed for a sex scandal with a teenager has been indicted on four new felony charges.

The forgery and perjury indictment of Del. Joseph D. Morrissey was returned the day before that election and unsealed Wednesday in Henrico County Circuit Court.

The lawmaker now stands accused of forging a document he vouched for in court, and persuading the girl's mother to swear to its authenticity as well. That woman, Deidre Warren, also was indicted on perjury and forgery charges. Morrissey faces up to 10 years on each count if convicted, special prosecutor William J. Neely said.

Morrissey, an attorney known as "Fighting Joe" since his 1993 courthouse fistfight with another lawyer, said the charges are false and vowed to beat them.

Read more: http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2015-01-21/lawmaker-reelected-after-being-jailed-indecent-liberties-teen-now-facing-new#.VMB0_Hvy1Z8

Related thread:
Morrissey now the subject of new criminal investigation
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10812087

[yeoman6987]

1. He needs to go

How embarrassing that is is a Democratic State Senator. Can the Governor replace him if he resigns? I hope so. The Repugs already run the state except for the Governor.

[TexasTowelie]

2. He was a former Democratic State Senator.

Further down in the article it states that he was re-elected as an independent.

[yeoman6987]

3. Thanks!

Even better for him to go.

[TexasTowelie]

4. It looks like the governor will have to call a special election if he is convicted.

I'm not familiar with Virginia law though.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. From the RT-D:

Morrissey, mother of ex-office worker indicted on felony charges

Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 1:10 pm
BY BILL MCKELWAY AND MARKUS SCHMIDT
Richmond Times-Dispatch

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Twitter: @MSchmidtRTD

Henrico County lawyer and independent Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, who for decades has made a trademark of his combative courtroom style, is quickly establishing himself as defendant more than defender.

In stinging indictments made public Wednesday — just a month after he avoided decades in prison by reaching a plea deal in a case rife with allegations of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old receptionist in his law firm — Morrissey is again facing charges carrying up to 40 years or more in prison. ... William F. Neely, who remains special prosecutor in the case for now, made a point of spinning the new cases as just that: new.

Neely issued a news release Wednesday recalling that he’d promised as part of the plea agreement to withhold any further criminal charges arising from Morrissey’s past conduct with the receptionist, conduct that originally spawned multiple felony charges. ... “However,” he added, “this plea deal did not cover any new crimes committed by Morrissey.”

The new charges, dealing with alleged forgeries of records submitted by Morrissey’s defense team Dec. 12 when Morrissey was sentenced to six months in jail on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, cut a thin line of demarcation in Neely’s promised timeline.