RICHMOND, Va. — Former Richmond City Council candidate Tavares Floyd is facing four election fraud charges for allegedly making false statements on campaign finance reports.
Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin announced the charges against Floyd on Monday afternoon.
“Following months of speculation by the press and by Richmond citizens, I can now announce that today, the grand jury for the City of Richmond has returned a true bill of indictments presented by the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney," McEachin said. "Each indictment charges Tavares Floyd with willfully making materially false statements on certain of his campaign finance reports."
McEachin noted that each charge is punishable as a Class 5 felony, carrying a maximum of 10 years behind bars.
A CBS 6 investigation in 2024 revealed Floyd's campaign reported raising significantly more money than incumbent Ellen Robertson, an amount that CBS 6 political analyst Bob Holsworth said was "rare and unusual" for a city council race.
When we contacted his purported donors, some of them told us they had never made a contribution and didn't know who he was.
“That’s crazy. I don’t know this person and I definitely didn’t give him $5,000," said a Tennessee attorney, who was listed as giving Floyd's campaign a $5,000 contribution.
Watch: Some reported donors of Richmond campaign say they never contributed money
It's unclear why Floyd allegedly inflated donations, but the more money a campaign raises, the more viable it can appear to other potential donors and voters.
Ultimately, Floyd was defeated in the November 2024 election by Robertson.
At the time of our original report, none of the government agencies we contacted, including the Richmond Registrar's Office and Virginia Department of Elections, were investigating any alleged discrepancies. Both entities stated they were not responsible for such an investigation.
McEachin said it was her office who eventually requested an official probe from the Virginia State Police, which took 10 months to complete.
“These charges are the result of the product of a diligent investigation by the Virginia State Police during which they interviewed dozens of individuals, obtained documentary evidence, and performed forensic accounting," McEachin said.
McEachin declined to comment further, citing the ongoing case.
CBS 6 tried to reach out to Floyd for a response to the charges, but his phone number has since been disconnected. We are still waiting for an email response.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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