Latest news with #RaminFatehi
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate Profile: Ramin Fatehi (Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney race)
Ramin Fatehi is the incumbent candidate for Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney and is running as a Democrat. His name will appear on the June 17, 2025 ballot. Fatehi is running against challenger John F. Butler 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: Ramin FatehiAge: 46Website: I have had the privilege of serving as Commonwealth's Attorney for Norfolk since my election in 2021. I currently head an office of 40 lawyers and 45 support staff responsible for serving justice in Norfolk. I grew up in Virginia Beach and graduated from Norfolk Academy (1996), Yale (2000) and Columbia University Law School (2003). I clerked for Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy of the Virginia Supreme Court, worked at a large firm in Washington, and then became an Assistant Public Defender in Richmond, where I represented indigent adults and children. I began my eighteen-year career as a prosecutor in the Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney's Office (2006-2011), served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Charlottesville (2011-2012), and joined the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office in 2012. I live in Colonial Place with my wife, Mary Beth Pennington, a Master Lecturer in English at Old Dominion University, and my sons Thomas (8) and James (7). I consider it my calling to serve the people of Norfolk and to work toward having one system of justice for all, not one system for the rich, powerful, and connected and another for everyone else. For too long there have been two justice systems, and a two-tiered system harms community trust and makes us less safe. I am a progressive prosecutor and proud Democrat, and I have spent the last four years focusing our work on holding accountable the people who commit violent crimes while offering diversion, treatment, and rehabilitation to people who deserve a second chance. During my tenure, homicides in Norfolk have dropped 42%, violent crime has dropped 40%, property crime has dropped 27%, and the jail population is down to half of what it was 10 years ago. I have driven the number of children in adult prison effectively to zero. I have proven that we do not have to choose public safety over civil rights, and I will continue to stand up for Norfolk in the face of attacks from the Trump administration on our reproductive rights, our livelihoods, and our safety. I have done the work, and I have the receipts to show it. Crime in Norfolk is down. The jail population is down. I am fortunate to have the endorsement of Congressman Bobby Scott, House Speaker Don Scott, former Attorney General Mark Herring, former Delegate Algie Howell, former City Councilors Paul Riddick and Andy Protogyrou, and former School Board member Rodney Jordan. I have hired and retained the most diverse office in Hampton Roads in the midst of the Great Resignation. I am the only candidate who has spent nearly my whole career in the Virginia state court system, unlike my opponent, who has no state court experience and who left the employ of Attorney General Mark Herring to take a job in Donald Trump's Justice Department in 2018. I have built relationships with law enforcement to identify the small number of bad actors who disproportionately drive crime. I go to every homicide and police-shooting scene in Norfolk personally, because it is my responsibility to do so. I have built partnerships with local violence interrupters, community leaders, and faith leaders to build trust in our work. I have lobbied for years in the General Assembly for fairer and more effective laws, from Virginia's first witness-protection program to a law making it illegal to possess a gun with an obliterated serial number. I have pledged never to prosecute a woman or her doctor for an abortion that was legal under Roe v. Wade. A lack of trust in the justice system that makes it impossible for the police to arrest most criminal actors, reduces the willingness of victims and witnesses to come to court, and makes juries suspicious of the evidence they hear in trial. In the United States, for every 100 murders, only 60 people are ever arrested. The rate of arrests for nonviolent crimes and property crimes are even lower. We have to increase trust so that the police can arrest people who do wrong and so that we can prosecute them. It is impossible to me prosecute a case if there is never an arrest or if the arrest is so weak that it will not stand up in court. I also need more prosecutors. My office is full, but the Mayor and council control my office's budget and are not funding me adequately. In 2008, we were allotted 42 prosecutors. Today, with the huge increase in digital evidence and the advent of police body cameras, we have only 40. We are in a position where does not seem to be the interest in properly funding the justice system, whether in police salaries or for my office. I make sure that we follow the science of criminal justice as supported by academics and data, not slogans and soundbites. I am, to my knowledge, the only Commonwealth's Attorney in Virginia who puts his plea agreement policies on the internet for all to read. Those policies call for us to make holistic decisions in lower-level cases so that we do not impoverish and destabilize people's lives, not just because it is wrong to do so but because it drives up crime. They also make clear that wealth and privilege are not going to be excuses for committing crimes, especially crimes where the rich use their positions to take advantage of others. I am transparent about my work, making myself available to the press and to researchers. I fired the private collections company that was profiting off of our citizens' court costs. I have continually advocated for changes to Virginia law that would reduce the debt traps that ensnare poor people who commit low-level offenses. I would welcome the assistance of the Attorney General's Office to enact the Virginia Access to Justice Act, a bill that I advanced earlier this year with a bipartisan group of Commonwealth's Attorneys that would have fully funded prosecutors, public defenders, and court-appointed lawyers and would have increased financial support for crime victims. I was disappointed that the City of Norfolk did not lobby for this initiative when it was in the Assembly, as it would provide real public-safety and equity benefits for Norfolk's citizens. I would hope that the Attorney General would see fit to support making people more safe by making the justice system more fair. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Norfolk man pleads guilty to possession of firearms, illegal drugs, during domestic call
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the possession of Schedule II drugs with intent to distribute, simple possession of Schedule I and II drugs and possession of firearms while in possession of said drugs. The drugs and firearms were found on Nov. 27, 2024, as police were called to the residence of 55-year-old Brian Keith Brown. Brown's wife called officers during a domestic dispute and reported that Brown had a weapon. Police then put Brown under arrest and found two firearms, digital scales, over 21 grams of methamphetamine and two pills containing MDMA. 'While most of today's focus is on the dangers of fentanyl, methamphetamine remains a dangerous and addictive substance whose effects often lead to violent behavior,' said Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. 'Mr. Brown further increased the risks inherent in methamphetamine distribution by mixing that crime with the possession of guns.' A judge will determine Brown's sentence during his presentence report on Aug. 1. 'At sentencing the judge will have the discretion to determine, after hearing our arguments and those from Mr. Brown's lawyer, what sentence will hold Mr. Brown appropriately accountable and will protect the community,' said Fatehi. 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
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Norfolk council votes for crackdown on illegal ATVs
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk City Council is cracking down on illegal ATVs and off-road motorcycles on city streets. Council voted Tuesday to adopt a resolution to lawfully seize and impound any all terrain vehicles, or ATVs, that are not authorized to be on the road. 10 On Your Side has covered the issue in several past investigations. Prosecutors say they've gotten many complaints from drivers. 'It is important to take these vehicles out of circulation,' said Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi, 'and I am thankful for your efforts to promote public safety and to put an ordinance in place that allows for police to do their jobs.' See below for the entire proclamation: R-01-Amendment-to-Norfolk-City-Code-all-terrain-vehicles-and-off-road-motorcycles_202501261901476183Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
