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Loudoun Tribune publisher, political consultant Brian Reynolds arrested, charged with federal fraud
Loudoun Tribune publisher, political consultant Brian Reynolds arrested, charged with federal wire fraud, felon possessing a gun
Times-Mirror Staff Report Mar 8, 2019 Updated 5 min ago
Brian Reynolds, owner of the on-again, off-again Loudoun Tribune newspaper, has been arrested and charged in federal court with wire fraud, felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements to the FBI.
Reynolds, 52, was indicted March 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon and one count of making false statements. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the unlawful possession of firearms and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for making false statements. ... Reynolds is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Alexandria and remain in jail until a preliminary hearing early next week.
....
Reynolds, a convicted felon from the 1990s, also lied to the FBI in 2017 about owning guns. According to the indictment, he illegally owns at least eight guns and five boxes of ammunition. ... The most recent indictment isn't Reynolds' first dust-up with the law. More than 20 years ago he was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for wire fraud and forgery charges.
Reynolds served as a media adviser and consultant for Sheriff Mike Chapman (R), former Loudoun County Chairman Scott York and several other Republican candidates during the 2015 election cycle.
_________________
This is a Times-Mirror news alert. Check back to LoudounTimes.com for updates.
Times-Mirror Staff Report Mar 8, 2019 Updated 5 min ago
Brian Reynolds, owner of the on-again, off-again Loudoun Tribune newspaper, has been arrested and charged in federal court with wire fraud, felon in possession of a firearm and making false statements to the FBI.
Reynolds, 52, was indicted March 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, one count of unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon and one count of making false statements. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the unlawful possession of firearms and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for making false statements. ... Reynolds is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon in Alexandria and remain in jail until a preliminary hearing early next week.
....
Reynolds, a convicted felon from the 1990s, also lied to the FBI in 2017 about owning guns. According to the indictment, he illegally owns at least eight guns and five boxes of ammunition. ... The most recent indictment isn't Reynolds' first dust-up with the law. More than 20 years ago he was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for wire fraud and forgery charges.
Reynolds served as a media adviser and consultant for Sheriff Mike Chapman (R), former Loudoun County Chairman Scott York and several other Republican candidates during the 2015 election cycle.
_________________
This is a Times-Mirror news alert. Check back to LoudounTimes.com for updates.
Loudoun Tribune
Our Team
True Crime
Publisher of Loudoun news website arrested on wire fraud, gun charges
Brian Reynolds, founder of Loudoun Tribune, also worked closely with the county sheriff on 2015 reelection.
By Tom Jackman
March 8 at 11:53 AM
The publisher of the Loudoun Tribune, and a close associate of Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman during his 2015 reelection campaign, was arrested Friday morning and charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, as well as illegally possessing a gun and lying to the FBI.
Brian Reynolds, 52, of Leesburg, Va., launched the Tribune in 2016, mainly as an online site, but it has also published print editions. An indictment unsealed in federal court in Alexandria, Va., on Friday alleges that Reynolds created phony advertising contracts, claiming that various companies had agreed to advertise in the Tribune. Reynolds would then allegedly show the phony contracts to potential investors, or misstate the advertising revenue of the Tribune, to persuade people to invest in the Tribune, the indictment alleges.
Reynolds already has a felony record, including forgery and bad check charges, and conducting a wire fraud scheme in Fairfax County in the mid-1990s, for which he was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison. A second indictment unsealed Friday alleges that Reynolds owned eight guns and five boxes of ammunition, a violation of federal law because of his conviction. Reynolds is also charged with lying to the FBI in 2017 about owning the guns.
In 2015, Reynolds worked closely with Chapman (R) on his reelection campaign, including obtaining and distributing emails written by Chapman’s political opponent and distributing campaign literature with Chapman. Chapman told The Washington Post in 2015 that he was aware Reynolds had “some troubles in the past” but that he had done good work for the sheriff and other Republican candidates. The Loudoun sheriff’s office has a general order that states employees “are prohibited from regular or continuous associations or dealing with … persons in the community with a reputation for involvement in felonious or criminal behavior."
“What am I supposed to do: not use him?” Chapman said in 2015. “We don’t hang out socially. All he does is campaign literature for me. He’s not privy to sensitive information. Everything we do is a business relationship.” ... Chapman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. He previously covered crime and courts for the Kansas City Star. Follow https://twitter.com/TomJackmanWP
Publisher of Loudoun news website arrested on wire fraud, gun charges
Brian Reynolds, founder of Loudoun Tribune, also worked closely with the county sheriff on 2015 reelection.
By Tom Jackman
March 8 at 11:53 AM
The publisher of the Loudoun Tribune, and a close associate of Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman during his 2015 reelection campaign, was arrested Friday morning and charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, as well as illegally possessing a gun and lying to the FBI.
Brian Reynolds, 52, of Leesburg, Va., launched the Tribune in 2016, mainly as an online site, but it has also published print editions. An indictment unsealed in federal court in Alexandria, Va., on Friday alleges that Reynolds created phony advertising contracts, claiming that various companies had agreed to advertise in the Tribune. Reynolds would then allegedly show the phony contracts to potential investors, or misstate the advertising revenue of the Tribune, to persuade people to invest in the Tribune, the indictment alleges.
Reynolds already has a felony record, including forgery and bad check charges, and conducting a wire fraud scheme in Fairfax County in the mid-1990s, for which he was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison. A second indictment unsealed Friday alleges that Reynolds owned eight guns and five boxes of ammunition, a violation of federal law because of his conviction. Reynolds is also charged with lying to the FBI in 2017 about owning the guns.
In 2015, Reynolds worked closely with Chapman (R) on his reelection campaign, including obtaining and distributing emails written by Chapman’s political opponent and distributing campaign literature with Chapman. Chapman told The Washington Post in 2015 that he was aware Reynolds had “some troubles in the past” but that he had done good work for the sheriff and other Republican candidates. The Loudoun sheriff’s office has a general order that states employees “are prohibited from regular or continuous associations or dealing with … persons in the community with a reputation for involvement in felonious or criminal behavior."
“What am I supposed to do: not use him?” Chapman said in 2015. “We don’t hang out socially. All he does is campaign literature for me. He’s not privy to sensitive information. Everything we do is a business relationship.” ... Chapman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Tom Jackman has been covering criminal justice for The Washington Post since 1998 and anchors the True Crime blog. He previously covered crime and courts for the Kansas City Star. Follow https://twitter.com/TomJackmanWP
https://twitter.com/loudountribune
I've never heard of them. Here's an old article:
Loudoun School Board Says NO to LGBTQ-Specific Protections
In Education January 11, 2017
In what was a much-anticipated first regular business meeting of the new year on Jan. 10, the Loudoun County School Board voted 5-4 against adding LGBTQ-specific protections to the public school system’s employment discrimination policy.
....
Proponents also reminded the board that trans people are among the most targeted by discrimination and violence, and there have been no recorded cases of trans women attacking people in women’s bathrooms.
Some addressed Del. Dave LaRock’s column in The Tribune, saying that in judging LGBTQ-identifying teachers as non-acceptable role models and that being gay or trans is a choice, LaRock demonstrates precisely why a policy protecting these identities is needed.
“We’re not asking for special rights, we’re asking for the rights afforded to everyone else,” LCPS student Sneha Sudhaka said.
Potomac Falls alumnus Ryan Wells, who wrote a rebuttal to LaRock that was published in The Tribune, also addressed the board. Wells opened his remarks by quoting Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes acceptance speech where she said everyone loses when the powerful use their position to bully others.
....
In Education January 11, 2017
In what was a much-anticipated first regular business meeting of the new year on Jan. 10, the Loudoun County School Board voted 5-4 against adding LGBTQ-specific protections to the public school system’s employment discrimination policy.
....
Proponents also reminded the board that trans people are among the most targeted by discrimination and violence, and there have been no recorded cases of trans women attacking people in women’s bathrooms.
Some addressed Del. Dave LaRock’s column in The Tribune, saying that in judging LGBTQ-identifying teachers as non-acceptable role models and that being gay or trans is a choice, LaRock demonstrates precisely why a policy protecting these identities is needed.
“We’re not asking for special rights, we’re asking for the rights afforded to everyone else,” LCPS student Sneha Sudhaka said.
Potomac Falls alumnus Ryan Wells, who wrote a rebuttal to LaRock that was published in The Tribune, also addressed the board. Wells opened his remarks by quoting Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes acceptance speech where she said everyone loses when the powerful use their position to bully others.
....
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