Miyares has taken the lead after a Loudoun County judge removed the county’s liberal Commonwealth’s Attorney Office from a serial burglary case for “deliberately misleading the Court and the public.”
“The Commonwealth is deliberately misleading the Court, and the public, in an effort to ‘sell’ the plea agreement for some reason that has yet to be explained,” Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge James Plowman wrote in an order removing the county’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, headed by Buta Biberaj, from the criminal case.
According to a report from Fox News, the order follows a case concerning burglary suspect Kevin Enrique Valle, who was charged with three misdemeanors for destruction of property and false identification, and two felonies for burglary. Plowman said prosecutor Michele Burton offered a six-month plea deal to Valle by downplaying Valle’s previous criminal history and not including other burglary charges against him.
Buta Biberaj, the liberal DA who was removed from the case, held a press conference Tuesday calling out Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares directly, claiming he was overstepping his office.
“This is a specific message to Attorney General Jason Miyares, ‘Stay in your lane’,” Biberaj said.
Miyares’s office was quick to respond, issuing the following statement, saying:
“It is clear from the Order that the Court has rightfully lost confidence in Ms. Biberaj, her deputies and her office’s ability and willingness to effectively seek justice in this matter. This is a situation of first impression for most in the legal community. Considering this unprecedented development, I wanted to offer to the Court the services of the Office of the Attorney General to either prosecute these cases or assist the Fauquier County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in that prosecution.”
BREAKING: Va AG @JasonMiyaresVA responds to my reporting on judge removing @LoudounOCA from case. In this letter to 20th judicial circuit chief judge, Miyares says AG’s office will prosecute or help prosecute the case @fox5dc 1/3 pic.twitter.com/i2v5EbLyuS
— Lindsay Watts (@LindsayAWatts) June 13, 2022
“Please know that my office stands at the ready to ensure that the victims of these serious crimes receive justice, and that the perpetrator is held accountable thereby ensuring that the citizens of Virginia feel safe in their homes,” Miyares added.
He also directly responded to Biberaj’s calls for him to “stay in his lane”, saying that this was his lane.
Our lane is to protect Virginians. The criminal first, victim last prosecutors take us on a detour to higher crime.https://t.co/9TJSH6CJVV
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) June 14, 2022