VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate whether Virginia Beach's mayor broke any laws by taking votes that benefited his employer's clients.
The Virginian-Pilot has reported that Will Sessoms has taken dozens of votes since 2009 benefiting TowneBank clients. Sessoms is a president at the bank.
Votes included selling property to borrowers below appraised value, passing zoning changes that let them expand their projects and making it easier for developers to build or encroach on city property.
The newspaper's investigation found the bank clients had borrowed at least $140 million.
On Tuesday, a circuit court judge appointed Michael Doucette, a commonwealth's attorney in Lynchburg, to review the case because of the potential for conflict of interest in the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney office.
