VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Author's note: The video above is on file from a separate indictment that aired on September 9, 2020.
The saga of election fraud investigations is over for former U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor and his team after a political consultant for the ex-Congressman's 2018 campaign pleaded no contest on Monday to charges of election officer neglect.
Robert Catron, who is now a managing partner of Arlington law firm Alcalde & Fay, Virginia, LLC, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, according to a spokesman for the Roanoke Commonwealth Attorney's Office, which handled the prosecution of the charges.
Catron was sentenced to 36 months of jail time, but that was all suspended, depending on good behavior. He will pay a fine of $7,500 and be on probation for a year.
The charges stem from when Taylor was running to be reelected for a second term as the congressman for Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. In an effort to take votes from opponent Elaine Luria, Taylor's campaign gathered signatures for a petition to put a third-party "spoiler candidate" on the ballot.
Several of Taylor's campaign staffers were accused of election fraud stemming from the petition drive after a number of the signatures were found to be forged. Ex-staffers Lauren Creekmore Peabody, Roberta Marciano, and Heather Guillot pleaded guilty to related fraud charges between 2018 and 2021.
Taylor, a Republican, has said he knew his staff was circulating petitions for independent candidate Shaun Brown, but he denounced the use of false signatures.
The Roanoke CA's office had previously said "the entire campaign" was under investigation. But, when clarifying Catron's penalties on Monday, Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney John McNeil said Taylor is unlikely to face any charges.
"We anticipate no further prosecutions as a result of this investigation," McNeil said.
Taylor's lawyer, Diane Toscano, put out a statement about Catron's sentencing this week.
"Rogue employees violated the people’s trust," she wrote. "Scott’s political opponents wrongly attempted to link him to it, which the public now knows was nothing more than a cheap political smear. Today’s case makes all that clear and brings it to closure."