RICHMOND, Va. – A Louisa County man is accused of swindling an imprisoned former Virginia legislator’s family in a bogus pardon scheme.
WRIC-TV reports (http://bit.ly/10hJCqX ) that Joseph Yancey faces six counts of obtaining money by false pretenses for allegedly scamming the family of former Delegate Phil Hamilton of Newport News, who is serving a 9.5-year prison sentence for bribery and extortion. Hamilton was convicted of soliciting a job at Old Dominion University that he helped create with taxpayer money.
Hamilton’s ex-wife, Roxanne Burnett, tells the Richmond television station that Yancey convinced her that he was working to obtain a presidential pardon for Hamilton. She says she paid him more than $20,000 that she thought was going for legal fees.
Yancey is scheduled for arraignment May 8 in York County.
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