WAVERLY, Va. (AP) - The mayor of a town in Sussex County has been indicted on 12 counts of felony election fraud.
Waverly Mayor Walter J. Mason was indicted Tuesday, March 14 by a grand jury.
Prosecutors say Mason made false statements or entries on absentee ballot applications. The indictment names seven victims whose applications were falsified. Court documents also show a special agent with Virginia State Police has been named as a witness in the case.
Resident Nathaniel Johnson told 13News Now FBI agents approached him about two months ago--asking him if the signature on his application was authentic.
"They said they want to verify some papers. He (agent) put it (application) on the table and I looked at it, and I said, 'That's my signature,'" he said.
Mason was elected mayor in 2010 and re-elected in 2012. He was defeated in 2014, but was elected again to the position in 2016, finishing 44 votes ahead of his nearest challenger last May.
Waverly, which has about 2,000 residents, is located on U.S. 460 about 20 miles southeast of Petersburg.
The 69-year-old will be arraigned on the charges next month. It's unclear whether he has an attorney.