Virginia

LEESBURG, Va. — A special prosecutor appointed to look into allegations of official misconduct by Loudoun County, Va., Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling, Va.) has begun impaneling a grand jury to review evidence as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Delgaudio, 58, is head of the organization “Public Advocate of The United States,” a non-profit group that advocates against LGBT rights, and has been named as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

He has been accused of using county resources to benefit his political campaigns

Potential jurors were convened Tuesday, February 5, in Loudoun County Circuit Court, where a judge told them that the grand jury was being assembled to look into allegations against Delgaudio, reported The Washington Post.

The investigation into Delgaudio was initiated after Donna Mateer, a former staffer, alleged that she spent the majority of her working hours early this year scheduling political fundraising meetings.

Mateer also claimed that Delgaudio subjected his employees to a hostile working environment. After news of the investigation was made public, Delgaudio fired her.

Delgaudio, who has publicly denounced gay people as “perverts” and “freaks,” has routinely injected himself into political battles across the country through his conservative nonprofit group, Public Advocate.

Delgaudio is also involved in a federal lawsuit brought by the SPLC on behalf of a same-sex couple whose engagement photo was allegedly stolen from their wedding blog and widely distributed on anti-gay rights campaign mailers in Colorado.

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