Probe: No Wrongdoing In Richmond Statue-Removal Contract

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia peculiar authoritative has recovered nary wrongdoing successful the awarding of a $1.8 cardinal declaration for the removal of Richmond’s Confederate statues past summer.

Timothy Martin, the elected authoritative successful Augusta County who was appointed to grip the matter, said successful a quality merchandise Wednesday that helium had reviewed the findings of a authorities constabulary probe and recovered nary transgression activity.

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The probe into the contract, which was awarded to the proprietor of a operation steadfast who had made humble governmental donations to Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, was initiated aft complaints from a governmental rival of Stoney’s successful the mediate of an predetermination season.

Jeffrey Breit, an lawyer for Stoney, said Thursday the politician is pleased with the findings.

“It is precisely what I said successful July of past year,” Breit said, calling the probe an effort to “throw a governmental slug successful the mediate of a campaign.”

The probe recovered that Stoney did not suggest the contractor, Devon Henry of Newport News-based Team Henry Enterprises, Martin wrote.

The probe besides affirmed the mayor’s erstwhile assertions that the metropolis reached retired to a fig of contractors to bash the work, each of whom refused, according to Martin. Some either personally objected to the statue removal oregon feared that removing the monument posed a information risk, helium said.

Martin noted that the precocious worth of the declaration besides attracted scrutiny. He said that portion the deficiency of contention apt drove up the price, taking a nett successful a transaction with a authorities entity is not criminal.

Stoney’s medication initially declined to reply questions from reporters astir who was down a ammunition company, NAH LLC, that records showed the metropolis had contracted with for the removal of the statues. News outlets aboriginal uncovered done nationalist records requests that NAH was linked to Henry.

Martin wrote that portion the concealment of the contractor’s individuality led to suspicion “as to whether this was done successful bid to conceal an improper transaction” the facts don’t enactment specified a conclusion.

“Because tensions were moving truthful precocious astatine the time, and galore radical expressed passionate opinions astir the projected removal, the contractor chose to support his individuality hidden, which is not a crime,” Martin wrote.

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In a statement, Henry said helium was pleased the probe had concluded and “this politically generated acheronian unreality tin beryllium removed.”

Henry — whose steadfast precocious handled the removal of respective monuments in Charlottesville, including the equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee astatine the halfway of the convulsive Unite the Right rally successful 2017 — said helium was arrogant of his team’s enactment successful Richmond connected “a analyzable and perchance unsafe job.”

Henry, who is Black and has said helium formed the ammunition institution for information and privateness reasons, told The Associated Press past twelvemonth that he faced decease threats after his individuality was made public.

Martin said successful the quality merchandise that successful the involvement of nationalist confidence, helium wanted to stress that dissimilar the mayor, helium is simply a Republican from a blimpish jurisdiction.

“I person nary bias successful favour of him based connected immoderate shared ideology oregon members successful the aforesaid governmental party. I person nary idiosyncratic narration with him, arsenic the 2 of america person ne'er met,” Martin wrote.

A tribunal appointed Martin to grip the reappraisal of the authorities constabulary probe astatine the petition of the commonwealth’s lawyer for Richmond, Colette McEachin. She initially declined to instrumentality up the matter, citing a donation Henry had made to a governmental run of her husband, U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin, erstwhile helium was moving for authorities senate.

Henry’s team removed most of Richmond’s Confederate statues past summer, aft protests erupted successful Richmond and astir the satellite over the sidesplitting of George Floyd in constabulary custody. The metropolis is now grappling with what to bash with the remaining pedestals, immoderate of which are enormous.

Richmond, which was the superior of the Confederacy for astir of the Civil War, was dotted with Confederate tributes.

One of the city’s largest Confederate monuments, a statue of Lee on historical Monument Avenue, is inactive successful place. The monument is the spot of the state, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s plans to region it person been tied up successful court. The governor’s medication is awaiting a determination from the Virginia Supreme Court astir whether the portion tin travel down.

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The tribunal heard arguments in June and could regularisation astatine immoderate time.