Former Charlottesville City Council candidate James Halfaday was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday morning on one count of election fraud. He is expected to plead guilty at his upcoming March 6 court date.
Originally, Halfaday faced four charges, but three were dropped prior to Tuesday’s hearing. He is accused of “willfully making a false statement” on candidacy paperwork, Scott Goodman, Halfaday’s attorney, said.
The 32-year-old Democrat, who finished last place in the party’s August primary election, was arrested in October and charged with four counts of election fraud for allegedly using a fake address on his candidacy paperwork. Halfaday listed a Charlottesville address in the 2400 block of Sunset Road on his campaign filings, but court documents show an address in the 1200 block of Richmond Road, which lies on Pantops Mountain in Albemarle County.
He was released on his recognizance with a $3,000 unsecured bond shortly after his arrest, court records show.
Halfaday also said he was a co-owner of the local Snap Fitness. His claim was disputed by Mike and Nancy Hamdani, who are the sole owners of The Long Run Inc., the company that owns the local Snap franchise.
Halfaday said that he was the first openly gay candidate to run for Charlottesville City Council, and told The Daily Progress in August that he received numerous anti-gay messages after announcing his candidacy.
Halfaday will next appear in court on March 6 at 11:30 a.m.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement