Blacksburg Town Council releases statement on Liam Watson's fraud charges (2024)

BLACKSBURG — The Town Council released a statement Monday — its first comment regarding the arrest of one of its own, Liam Watson.

On July 23, Watson was charged with three counts of felony election fraud, and one felony count of illegally voting in an election.

In the statement, issued by the town’s public relations office, the other council members say they plan to discuss no further details regarding Watson’s arrest, at least for the time being.

“We trust that our legal system, which is based on a presumption of innocence, will address this matter in a timely and just manner,” the statement reads. “The Town Council will take appropriate actions, as necessary, as the process unfolds, and more facts become available.”

The town council has been on a summer break since mid-June and has not held a public meeting. According to Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith many town officials were still out of town at the time of the arrest, prompting them to wait before making an official statement.

“Now that we’re all back, we felt we should get something out there,” Hager-Smith said.

The council will meet Tuesday at 11 a.m. for a regularly-scheduled work session.

“We’re all girding ourselves for more media attention during this work session,” Hager-Smith said. “But I think they may be disappointed.”

The first hearing in the Watson case was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday but has been continued to Sept. 25. Watson, formerly employed by the state Democratic Party, is currently represented by Roanoke attorney John Fishwick. Fishwick could not be reached for comment Monday regarding the hearing, or the council’s statement.

Watson, elected last year as a write-in candidate, was released on bond after being charged and has made no public statement about the situation.

He has also been employed for about six months at Sapphire Strategies, where he receives a $60,000 annual salary, according to court records. The agency “builds robust digital programs for Democratic leaders,” according to its website.

The first of Watson’s election fraud charges is related specifically to his Virginia voter registration application. His indictment alleges that on Aug. 7, he made “a false material statement or entry in a statement” on the form, which is not a public document.

Watson’s second election fraud charge is related to a statement of organization candidate committee, or SOCC, form that he filled out Aug. 28. In the document, which is publicly available at the county registrar’s office, Watson reported that his residential address was in the 500 block of Milhurst Street in Blacksburg.

Registrar records show that on Dec. 31, Watson’s SOCC form was amended to include a residential address in the 800 block of Progress Street Northeast.

Watson’s third election fraud charge is related to a declaration of candidacy, or DC, form that he filled out Nov. 16, . He reported in that document, which his indictment alleges also contains a false statement, that his mailing address was in the 900 block of University City Boulevard.

But three months prior on Aug. 28, according to registrar records, he had filled out a DC form and listed the Milhurst address as his mailing address.

Watson’s last indictment, related to the illegally voting charge, alleges that between Aug. 7 and Nov. 7, he “voted in an election that he was not qualified to vote where and when the vote was given.”

Meanwhile, a fundraiser for Watson’s legal fees was started on GoFundMe, with the name of the person who initiated it listed as Rebecca Daly. The page has currently received $1,360 in donations, toward a $25,000 goal. It was unclear Monday afternoon what the relationship is between the person who started the page and Watson.