A Virginia prosecutor likely violated ethics rules by colluding with the state’s notorious porn-star candidate. He helped her navigate the scandal rather than prosecuting her for prostitution.
Shannon Taylor, Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney, is a far-left Democrat who was the elected prosecutor in the district where Susanna Gibson is running for statehouse.
While other politicians were publicly distancing themselves from Gibson, Taylor was closely involved with Gibson’s campaign, and was using government resources to feed it information for the purpose of helping its campaign strategy. This is according to records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Gibson raised money for her “good cause” by doing live online sex shows under the moniker “HotWifeExperience.” Constituents could pay tokens to get her to do specific sex acts with her husband while they watched, with larger payments leading to more extreme acts, such as watching her urinate or anal sex.
Taylor’s office was asked if she planned to seek an indictment of Gibson for prostitution based on Virginia code section 18.2-346. Lawyers said her conduct fit the statute, which outlaws sex for money regardless of whether the recipient has sex with the payee or with someone else.
Lawyers for Taylor threatened a lawsuit against those asking the question.
Emails suggests that Taylor was coordinating closely with Gibson, to the point where they were sharing information about what various media outlets were writing about her in real time.
Taylor has not responded to a FOIA asking for records showing communication with Gibson’s staff or anyone else on the matter.
And Gibson did not return a request for comment,
Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, which monitors the politicization of prosecutors offices, said, “It is illegal for any official to use their office to advance purely political objectives, but for the jurisdiction’s chief law enforcement officer — the Commonwealth’s Attorney— to do so is an affront to the rule of law and shakes public faith in the justice system.”
Virginia prosecutor Shannon Taylor may have violated ethics rules by colluding with a porn-star candidate to help her navigate a prostitution scandal instead of prosecuting her. Taylor's involvement with the candidate's campaign, using government… https://t.co/zcrpnsyaTx
— AM1_NEWS (@am1_news) October 11, 2023
