RICHMOND, Va. β Richmond City Council voted Monday night to approve $5.8 million in restitution for a man wrongfully imprisoned for more than 40 years.
Marvin Grimm spent over four decades behind bars for a murder he did not commit and is now owed justice under a new state law mandating localities to match Virginia's restitution payments when misconduct is involved.
The ordinance passed Monday on a vote of 8-1. According to an announcement from the Mayor's office, the payment will be transferred to the General Fund budget from the Delinquent Sales Tax Special Fund, a reserve fund built from the sale of tax-delinquent properties.
Also on Monday, the Mayor's office announced plans to transfer an additional $2 million from the same fund to Richmond's Affordable Housing Trust Fund after concern with the use of dollars that may have been able to go toward affordable housing.
A 2021 ordinance allowed up to $1 million annually from the Delinquent Sales Tax Special Fund to go toward affordable housing. However, according to city leaders, not a single dollar has ever been used for that purpose.
A spokesperson for Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said that no ordinance has been passed to allow the city to allocate money from that fund to affordable housing. Officials maintain the law allows it to happen, but doesn't require it.
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