Latest news with #NorfolkCommonwealth
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk City Council directs city attorney to pursue misdemeanor shoplifting crimes
Norfolk City Council members unanimously approved a code change that will let the City Attorney's Office prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting cases, despite objections from some residents. City Council members said during Tuesday's meeting the code change would help prosecute organized shoplifters damaging Norfolk small businesses. 'This gives us more opportunity to have insight and say-so,' said council member John 'JP' Paige. The code change would allow the City Attorney's Office to prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting crimes. Currently, the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's office prosecutes every felony shoplifting case, and the office has the discretion to decide whether to prosecute misdemeanor crimes. However, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said his office does not have enough state or city funding to staff misdemeanor cases. Several residents spoke against the code change during Tuesday's meeting, saying it could disproportionately harm the city's most vulnerable citizens. Portsmouth approves $878M budget, along with new tax rate and more school funding Virginia Beach approves $2.8 billion operating budget with boost to public safety Norfolk council adopts $1.6 billion budget, includes 2-hour free parking Norfolk to vote on allowing city attorney to prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting Hampton adjusts budget to cover vetoed gun violence prevention funds Sharon Houston said the measure would hurt families living in poverty. 'The rich will get richer,' Houston said. 'The poor will get poorer.' Council member Mamie Johnson also said the city would continue to help low-income residents access city programs and other wraparound services so they wouldn't feel the need to shoplift items like groceries. The threshold for felony larceny has been raised in recent years from $200and now stands at $1,000 or more in stolen goods. The felony charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500, according to the Code of Virginia. The misdemeanor charge would apply to stolen goods with a value of less than $1,000 and would be punishable by up to a year in prison and up to a $2,500 fine. The issue became a point of contention between Fatehi and Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, when Alexander announced the code change plans at his annual State of the City address in April. Alexander claimed Fatehi's office was not doing enough to prosecute what he described as well-organized, planned-out thefts. Fatehi is facing a June 17 Democratic primary challenge by John Butler, a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Norfolk. Butler has been endorsed by Alexander and City Council members Jeremy McGee, Tommy Smigiel and Courtney Doyle. Norfolk City Attorney Bernard Pishko told the Pilot his office would try the cases with existing staff and that fines from the cases would pay for the additional costs incurred by the prosecutions. There is no minimum dollar amount that can be charged as a misdemeanor under the new code. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate Profile: John F. Butler (Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney race)
John F. Butler is a candidate for Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney and is running as a Democrat. His name will appear on the June 17, 2025 ballot. Butler is running against incumbent challenger Ramin Fatehi in the June primary. The winner will appear on the ballot for the General Election on Nov. 4. If you are voting in this election, from May 2 through June 14 you can vote early at your On Election Day, polls in Virginia are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Don't forget to bring your ID. to see who is on your ballot. 10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race, with a request for a bio and a list of questions to answer. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one. Candidate Profiles Name: John F. ButlerAge: 46Website: John F. Butler is a lifelong Virginian, a lifelong Democrat who worked for Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and a lifelong public servant, who moved to Norfolk 13 years ago as an officer in the Navy JAG Corps. He and his wife fell in love with Norfolk's welcoming spirit and chose to raise their two daughters here. John served as a federal prosecutor for 10 years, where he was appointed during President Barack Obama's administration, and most recently was the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia's Norfolk Division, where he supervised 60 federal prosecutors and staff and twice received the Department of Justice's highest honor, the John Marshall Award. In the Navy, John prosecuted and defended hundreds of cases, serving eight years on active duty, including a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was named the Navy's Prosecutor of the Year, and he continues to serve as a Commander in the Navy Reserves Judiciary Unit. Now, he is running for Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney to build a safer, stronger Norfolk, because everyone deserves to feel safe, no matter who they are or where they live. I love public service, and I love Norfolk. I want to improve the lives and safety of everyone in our hometown, and I believe I have the education, training, and experience to be most effective in the role of Commonwealth's Attorney. Over the past decade as a federal prosecutor and for two and a half years as the Managing Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, I helped make Norfolk and the region safer, delivering justice to victims and leading critical community violence intervention and prevention programs. I am stepping up to focus my efforts on Norfolk and help build a Commonwealth's Attorney's Office that effectively prepares and evaluates cases, creates a culture of excellence that motivates staff, trains and develops junior prosecutors, and delivers justice to victims to make Norfolk a safer, more thriving city. I bring nearly twenty years of experience as a leader and criminal litigator – both as a prosecutor and defense attorney in the Navy JAG Corps, and then as a federal prosecutor in the Norfolk Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. In these roles, I have demonstrated an ability to lead teams, try complex cases, and deliver justice to victims. As a federal prosecutor, I handled some of our region's most significant cases. I managed the office for two and a half years, overseeing 60 attorneys and staff. I led not just by supervising, but by personally trying multiple cases a year and taking them to trial. The most effective managers are servant leaders, and I made it a point to lead by example and provide the resources my teams needed to be successful. At the United States Attorney's office, I strengthened public safety through community-based initiatives. I created the Hampton Roads Opioid Working Group, bringing together medical professionals, educators, peer recovery specialists, first responders, business leaders, and community partners to address the opioid crisis by connecting people suffering from addiction to the help they needed and taking steps to educate young people to prevent addiction. I took those lessons to the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, a community engagement initiative that intervened with at-risk individuals to prevent them from becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Through this work, I built and ran an effective prosecutor's office that created a culture of excellence, mentored junior attorneys, implemented community-based crime prevention and intervention strategies, and, most importantly, delivered justice to victims and their families. We need a competent Commonwealth's Attorney, who can inspire and motivate a strong team that effectively prepares and evaluates cases, delivering justice to victims. You lose the community's trust when cases are repeatedly lost because of avoidable errors, like not turning over discovery, not properly staffing cases, or failing to prepare witnesses. Winning cases depends on earning the trust of witnesses and the broader community. Witnesses must believe we will win these cases and that they will be safe if they come forward. That requires strong witness and victim protection programs, effective preparation, and a proven record of success in the courtroom. Building trust also requires a partnership between the police department, the Commonwealth's Attorney's office, and the community. That's why community violence intervention programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods are so critical, and why it is essential to work with trusted community leaders to rebuild and strengthen those relationships. First, it is necessary to acknowledge the history of redlining, racial segregation, and systemic racism in Norfolk and across Virginia. We are still working to undo the harmful effects of these policies and must prioritize building a relationship of trust between the community and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. A prosecutor must consider and balance the circumstances of the crime, the defendant's history and characteristics, the impact on victims, and the safety of the community. Marginalized communities have faced unfair sentencing and targeting by our criminal justice system, and we must make active efforts to prevent that. That is why I led Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice's Violence prevention and intervention program, which focuses on reaching individuals before they become justice involved and providing them the resources they need to succeed. For too long, the reactive approach has not worked; we must be proactive, especially in marginalized communities, to combat the symptoms of crime. I am proud to have done that work and will implement and support funding community violence intervention programs as your next Commonwealth's Attorney. The current Attorney General has failed to stand up against Trump's dangerous rhetoric and decision to roll back progress in civil rights that Virginians have fought so hard for by shuttering the Civil Rights Division's focus on race. When the Trump administration called on our universities to shut down their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, the Attorney General joined them rather than stand up for our students. We must protect civil rights programs and support the communities that have been overlooked for far too long in Virginia. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic candidates for Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney debate during candidate forum
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The two Democratic candidates for Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney had a spirited debate during a forum Wednesday at the East Ocean View Community Center ahead of the June primary, with the incumbent touting declining crime rates, while his challenger said more work remains. Norfolk mayor touts accomplishments, takes swipe at Fatehi While no cameras were allowed inside to record the forum, the packed room was full of emotion from both candidates and residents, with crime the top concern. Incumbent Ramin Fatehi emphasized crime rates being down across the city, while his challenger, , said there is more work to be done. Virginia June 2025 Primary Voter Guide 'We want to see a strong Norfolk, Butler said. Fatehi, however, said the news in the city is good, with violent crime down 40%. 'The very fact that one of the biggest topics was stealing and shoplifting and not murder, rapes and robberies tells us how good we have it right now compared to where we were just a few short years ago,' Fatehi said. Butler, however, brought up Fatehi's opposition to a lower felony larceny threshold. 'My opponent, he has a different philosophy on things,' Butler said. 'The General Assembly has put the felony larceny level at $1,000, and my opponent has said he's not going to charge people unless its over $2,500.' Norfolk mayor seeks city role in holding shoplifters accountable Both candidates addressed voters in Ocean View. Fatehi has served as Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney since 2022, while Butler is a former federal prosecutor. Both candidates emphasize the need for collaboration with Norfolk City Council. The current Norfolk mayor backs Butler. 'This election is a choice,' Fatehi said. 'It is a choice between safety and criminal justice reform and forward progress on one side, and the return to the old and failed ways on the other.' Said Butler: 'We want to prevent people from continuing to commit crimes, so there has to be consequences for your actions, so it's pretty simple, but he doesn't believe in that.' Your Local Election Headquarters The primary election will take place June 17 while the General Election takes place Nov. 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk commonwealth's attorney faces challenge from former federal prosecutor
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi is being challenged in the Democratic primary by former Assistant U.S. Attorney John F. Butler. Fatehi is seeking a second four-year term, while Butler is making his first run for elected office. ___ Age: 46 Employment: Former Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia's Norfolk Division Education: J.D., Georgetown University Law Center; M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College; B.A. in American Government, Georgetown University Military Service: A veteran of the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, Butler currently serves as a Commander in the Navy Reserves Judiciary Unit. Party Affiliation: Democrat Website: What do you believe is the most important issue facing the office now? Effective leadership. According to the Virginian-Pilot, the office has seen an 'exodus of attorneys,' and by our count, more than 70 employees have left from an office of 85 staff. That staggering level of turnover speaks to the culture and current leadership. The office needs an effective manager, who leads by example and works to support the staff and develop their talent to accomplish the core function of the job – prosecuting cases in a fair and equitable way that delivers justice to victims and their families and upholds the rule of law. An effective leader also understands the importance of being proactive about addressing crime by prioritizing prevention and intervention efforts, which can be accomplished by building relationships of trust. With effective leadership, we can deliver justice, reduce crime and prevent it before it happens. Why do you think you're the best candidate for the job? I have a track record of success, and as a servant leader, I know how to build strong teams that deliver results. I have dedicated my life to public service both through the Navy JAG Corps, where I am currently a Commander and a Judge in the Reserves, and through a decade of service in the U.S. Attorney's Office, where for the last three years, I managed 60 federal prosecutors and staff. In that role, I successfully prosecuted some of the region's most complex cases, delivering justice to victims and their families. I also focused on building prevention and intervention programs to get ahead of crime before it happens, keeping people out of the criminal justice system and making our community safer. And that's why I am honored to have the endorsement of Mayor Kenny Alexander, Treasurer Daun Hester and Sheriff Joe Baron because they know I am the best candidate to lead this office. If you could pick only one solution, how would you reduce violent crime in our community? Reducing violent crime requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. During my time in the U.S. Attorney's Office, I knew that the old approach, focusing solely on prosecuting crime after it happens, wasn't working. We needed to get ahead of it. That's what I did in my work leading Project Safe Neighborhoods and the Hampton Roads Opioid Working Group. Teamwork is critical to tackle an issue as complicated as violent crime. Faith based leaders, community based organizations, the medical community, first responders, state, local, and federal law enforcement, as well as business, medical, and academic stakeholders all need to be a part of the solution. These entities working in concert with one another, led by an effective Commonwealth's Attorney, can focus on community violence intervention and find alternative pathways for at-risk individuals before they ever get involved in the justice system. ___ Age: 46 Employment: Commonwealth's Attorney, City of Norfolk Education: B.A., History, with Distinction in the Major, Yale University (2000); J.D., Columbia University Law School (2003) Elected Offices Candidate has Held: Elected Commonwealth's Attorney for the City of Norfolk in November 2021 Party Affiliation: Democrat Website: What do you believe is the most important issue facing the office now? Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the rule of law, offering pardons to cronies and oppression to political opponents and the poor, all while cutting federal funding to the social programs that prevent crime. Trump's actions will have a direct effect on the administration of justice in Norfolk: Further damaging trust in the justice system, alienating people from the police and prosecutors, and driving up crime. Meanwhile, my office has been starved for funding. My office's maximum salaries and maximum number of staff are set by the mayor and his allies. We were allotted 42 prosecutors in 2008; today we are allotted 40, despite the increased workloads from body cameras and digital evidence. I have hired and retained a diverse and talented staff in the midst of the Great Resignation and a national prosecutor shortage, but I am turning away qualified applicants for lack of space. Why do you think you're the best candidate for the job? I have a successful record of promoting public safety through criminal justice reform. Since I took office, Norfolk's homicides and violent crime are down 40%. Property crime is down 27%. The jail population is down. I am beholden to no one and ready to stand up against Donald Trump. I am committed to building trust in the system, pursuing policies supported by data, and avoiding the mistakes of mass incarceration. I am the only candidate who has real experience in Virginia's state courts. I have advocated for marijuana legalization, gun safety, and Virginia's first victim and witness protection program. I will never prosecute a woman or her doctor for an abortion legal under Roe. I go to every murder scene in Norfolk, and I have focused my office's efforts on holding violent people accountable while offering diversion, treatment, and alternatives to people who deserve a second chance. If you could pick only one solution, how would you reduce violent crime in our community? The cases we prosecute are immensely important for victims, the accused, their families, and the community, and the criminal-justice system can and should hold dangerous people accountable. Fostering community trust and the smart use of technology can help solve crime and secure convictions, but the data shows that the criminal justice system alone cannot meaningfully reduce violent crime. Crime is a manifestation of other, more profound problems. Violent crime spiked in Norfolk and nationally during COVID and then came down after COVID, and it was not because of the justice system. The real way to reduce violent crime is to address its root causes by providing good jobs at good pay, good schools for rich and poor children alike, quality healthcare, affordable housing, youth mentoring, and incentives to family formation and parenting. Only then will we see a real change in public safety.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newport News forum addresses criminal justice reform
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Rep. Bobby Scott, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi and several others were part of a Newport News NAACP forum Monday discussing criminal justice reform. The Voices for Justice: A Community Conversation forum was held in collaboration with the Ivy Baptist Church Social Justice Ministry at Ivy Baptist Church. Hampton University Professor Zina McGee and criminal justice reform advocate Kemba Smith Pradia were also among the speakers. Pradia shared her own story of incarceration and the impact of mandatory minimum sentencing. 'It was just important for me to get our communities to understand the need for us to change the narrative of how we perceive formerly incarcerated people across the country, and in particular, in Virginia,' Pradia said. She was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for a non-violent offense connected to her abusive boyfriend's drug activity. She received a presidential pardon, and she now speaks out on the need for justice reform and what she believes needs to be done. '[We need] to focus on evidence-based research and to have more transparency and data in our Virginia system, and to celebrate formerly incarcerated people who have success stories,' Pradia said. Scott, who has worked on sentencing reform throughout his career, also spoke. 'The first thing you have to do in criminal justice reform is make a decision whether or not you're playing politics with slogans and sound bites, or actually reducing crime using evidence and research,' Scott said. Fatehi offered a prosecutor's perspective on criminal justice reform. 'We are responsible for being intentional, that we have a duty to make sure that we are focusing our efforts on people who commit violent crimes and holding them accountable, but not over-killing, not over-punishing,' Fatehi said. Pradia added that it was important for her to continue to share her message of changing the public's perception of those who have been incarcerated. She also believes it's important to focus on providing resources for inmates, such as training and education. 'We live in a country that incarcerates over 2 million people, which is more than any other country in the world,' Pradia said, 'and so with so many people coming home, I don't want our communities across the country to be fearful of formerly incarcerated people.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
