FBI Probe Into Scandal-Plagued Democrat Uncovers Explosive Allegations

Newly unsealed FBI documents reveal that federal investigators suspected former Virginia state senator Joe Morrissey of accepting money in exchange for using his official position to pursue gubernatorial pardons for convicted criminals.

Morrissey, a disbarred attorney and longtime Democratic lawmaker, was the subject of a June 2023 FBI search warrant that was unsealed last month after a two-year seal expired. According to the affidavit, investigators believed Morrissey “engaged in bribery” by soliciting tens of thousands of dollars from the father of a Virginia inmate while serving on the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee.

The affidavit states that Morrissey operated a business called Premier Jury Consulting Services, LLC, which advertised his status as a sitting state senator and member of the “prestigious Senate Judiciary Committee.” Pamphlets for the business were reportedly distributed at multiple jail facilities in the Richmond area and included testimonials from individuals who had been “pardoned, paroled, or released early from incarceration.”

According to the FBI filing, Virginia State Police informed federal agents in February 2023 that Morrissey allegedly accepted $15,000 from the father of an inmate in exchange for promising to secure a pardon from then-Governor Ralph Northam. The father told investigators that Morrissey initially requested $30,000 but later agreed to accept half that amount.

The affidavit describes a meeting in Morrissey’s office in which an attorney present allegedly told the father that his son had little chance of receiving a pardon because he had stabbed a law enforcement officer. The document states that Morrissey then met privately with the father and reassured him that he could secure the pardon, telling him officials would listen because he was a state senator.

In October 2020, the father wrote a $15,000 check to Premier Jury Consultants, in addition to a prior $1,500 payment. The receipt reportedly described the payment as “Jury Consulting/Legal Research.” Emails reviewed by investigators show Morrissey’s Senate aides communicating with the father using a Gmail account but signing messages with official legislative titles.

The affidavit details multiple letters sent on Virginia Senate letterhead to the governor’s office advocating for inmates, including the father’s son. In one message, Morrissey wrote that he had hand-delivered a Petition for Conditional Pardon to the governor’s chief of staff and personally discussed the case.

Despite the allegations outlined in the affidavit, Morrissey was never charged. The unsealed documents do not indicate that Northam granted the specific pardon sought in the case described.

Northam did, however, issue more than 1,200 pardons during his tenure, including one in January 2022 for Morrissey himself. Morrissey had previously served jail time after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor related to a relationship with a 17-year-old employee at his law firm. He later married the woman after she turned 18.

Morrissey’s political career has long been marked by controversy. In the early 1990s, while serving as Richmond’s prosecutor, he spent five days in jail for punching a defense attorney and was indicted on bribery charges, though he was acquitted. He was later disbarred for what the court described as fraud related to evidence in his criminal case.

He continued winning elections despite his legal troubles, even securing re-election to the House of Delegates while serving time in jail. He later moved to the state Senate, where he became an influential vote in a closely divided chamber.

Morrissey lost his Democratic primary in June 2023. Around the same time, his wife filed for divorce, alleging further misconduct during their relationship.

The newly unsealed FBI documents add another chapter to a career that has repeatedly drawn scrutiny from prosecutors, party leaders, and voters alike, though no criminal charges have resulted from the most recent federal investigation.