NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) — A judge has moved and postponed Shaun Brown’s re-trial on federal criminal charges, and now there is a special request for jurors.
The former 2nd District Congressional candidate was bounced from the race after issues with petitions to get her on the ballot were uncovered. Brown was set to face re-trial on unrelated federal criminal charges Tuesday, but now that won't happen.
According to court documents, all of this is because of the controversy in the second district race, which we reported back in August. It is having lasting impacts outside the election.
A judge in Norfolk declared a mistrial for Shaun Brown's federal fraud charges. Now, a judge in Newport News will preside over Brown's federal retrial.
Brown is facing felony fraud charges related to a summer program to serve meals to the needy. The judge pushed back that retrial to October 22nd.
The extra time will help the court deal with jury pool issues. Some of this federal court division includes the Second Congressional District, where Shaun Brown's name has been in the news regularly.
Brown's attorney argued if people in the Second District are called as jurors, they'd have a "direct conflict of interest."
A judge in Richmond kicked Shaun Brown off the ballot because of issues with her petitions. Now, A federal judge has ordered the court not to summon any potential jurors who live in the Second District. He will also ask about this particular issue when choosing who will decide whether or not Shaun Brown committed fraud.
He wrote: "the ends of justice" are served by this continuance.
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