VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A former Virginia city economic development official was convicted Wednesday on three counts of felony embezzlement.
57-year-old Brian Scott Hall pleaded not guilty to the charges but stipulated that the Commonwealth’s evidence was sufficient to find him guilty. His attorney asked that Hall be found guilty of three misdemeanor charges instead, but the judge refused to reduce the charges.
Prosecutors said Hall spent more than $4,000 using an account meant for city business purchases to send packages to his girlfriend in the Philippines, where he traveled to promote the city. The packages were sent between September of 2016 and November of 2018.
Hall worked for Virginia Beach in its Economic Development Office as Business Development Coordinator.
During the investigation, authorities say Hall admitted to shipping the packages and that they were not related to city business.
The total restitution was repaid through the balance of Hall’s leave when his employment was terminated.
"Hall’s actions were a direct violation of the public’s trust which simply cannot be tolerated,” said Colin D. Stolle, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach.
A circuit court judge sentenced Hall to three years in prison, all suspended on the condition of three years of good behavior.
The Virginia State Sentencing Guidelines recommended a sentence of probation with no active period of incarceration.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
