HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Police searched former Virginia State Delegate Joe Morrissey’s two Henrico law offices Monday and removed various computers, folders and forms. The search was centered around an investigation into whether Morrissey’s lawyers introduced fraudulent documents during a recent trial in which Morrissey entered an Alford plea on the charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In doing so, Morrissey admitted there was enough evidence for a jury to convict him on charges tied to an inappropriate relationship with a former teenage staffer.
The document in question was presented as evidence during the trial and entered into the official court record, according to police and court documents.
The document was purportedly a court order that spelled out how the teenager’s father would pay child support to her mother. The father, Coleman Pride, said his signature on the document was forged. Police also noticed irregularities, like the lack of a judge’s signature and an official inked stamp.
Following Monday’s search, Morrissey addressed the situation with anger.
“I looked at the detective and I looked at his face and I said ‘when are you going to apologize to me, after the election?'”Morrissey said. “It’s very shameful that the day before the election they would do this.”
Morrissey is running as an Independent candidate in a special election Tuesday to fill the seat from which he recently resigned.
