Infamous for his soft-on-illegal-immigrant-crime policies, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano is now under federal investigation for suspected discriminatory treatment of cases, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday.
“Today, the Justice Department notified the Fairfax County, Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano of the initiation of a federal investigation into the Commonwealth’s Attorney Plea Bargaining, Charging Decisions, and Sentencing Policy,” DOJ reported in a press release describing the reason the probe has been launched:
“The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will investigate whether the Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney discriminated against United States citizens by offering preferential treatment only to illegal alien criminal defendants.”
The notification provided to Descano by Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division, cites the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Safe Streets Act, “both of which prohibit recipients of Federal financial assistance from discriminating based upon race, color, or national origin”:
“Our investigation will also determine whether your office is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601.
“Our investigation is based on information that on or about December 15, 2020, OFCA adopted the Commonwealth's Attorney Plea Bargaining, Charging Decisions, and Sentencing Policy. That policy states in relevant part ‘ACAs [Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys] shall consider immigration consequences where possible’ and that ‘prosecutors shall consider ... the collateral immigration consequences of the specific crime(s) the defendant is charged with[.]’”
Descano’s soft treatment of illegal alien criminals has made national news and drawn harsh criticism, especially in recent months.
In March, for example, documents obtained through the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) revealed that Fairfax County, Virginia police previously warned Descano’s office at least three times not to release an illegal alien later charged with stabbing to death a woman at a bus stop – but, Descano’s office released him, anyway.
The illegal immigrant had been continually released back into the Northern Virginia community with charges dropped by Descano’s office.
In another case this year, two illegal aliens in Fairfax County, Virginia pleaded guilty to murder, but could be back out on the street in three years, thanks to a sweetheart deal given them by Descano’s office.
“The reason why the two men will be serving five years behind bars for murder is that Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office offered them a generous plea deal. And both men took it,” local station WJLA’s Nick Minock reported at the time.
“Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences,” Descano’s website vows.
Financial records and donation records tie Descano to far-left activist billionaire George Soros, according to a recap of news sources by The Daily Caller. Descano describes himself as a “progressive prosecutor” on his X.com account.
There have been two recall efforts waged against Descano since he assumed office in 2019.
“We are grateful to the Department of Justice for taking up the cause of victims, and investigating Commonwealth’s Attorney Descano’s leniency in criminal cases involving illegal immigrants,” Victims Rights Reform Council Executive Director Jennifer Harrison said in a statement Wednesday. “This has been a long time in coming, and will be a great step in justice for victims.”
Individuals with relevant information regarding the DOJ’s investigation of Descano are encouraged to contact the Department via civilrights.justice.gov/report/.
