Former Virginia House of Delegates Member Sentenced to 114 Months in Prison for Bribery and Extortion

A former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Phillip A. Hamilton, has been sentenced to 114 months in prison for bribery and extortion. The sentencing occurred on a recent date.

Hamilton, 59, was convicted by a jury in Richmond, Va., on May 11, 2011, of one count of federal program bribery and one count of extortion under color of official right.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, from August 2006 through February 2007, Hamilton solicited employees of Old Dominion University (ODU) for a position as director for the ODU Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership. During this period, Hamilton simultaneously introduced a budget amendment that would establish and fund the center, including his salary as the director.

Hamilton was elected in 1988 to represent the 93rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes Newport News and James City County, Va. As part of his duties, Hamilton sat on the Elementary & Secondary Education Subcommittee of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson also ordered Hamilton to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term and directed him to self-surrender to authorities on or before Sept. 19, 2011.

“Phillip Hamilton traded on his influence in one of the oldest legislative bodies in the United States for a paid position at Old Dominion University, netting himself approximately $80,000 over two years,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer.

“Today he learned that betraying the trust of Virginia’s citizens and his fellow legislators has a much higher price. For his acts of bribery and extortion, he will now spend 114 months in prison – an example to public officials and the electorate that the Justice Department will vigorously pursue those who abuse their public office,”

“Today is a sad day in the history of the Commonwealth,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride. “Phil Hamilton used his powerful influence as a 20-year state legislator to extort officials at ODU and became the first elected legislator in Virginia to be convicted of selling his position for personal gain.

We hope his conviction and sentence will serve as a reminder to every elected official in the Commonwealth that they must uphold the public’s trust or face similar consequences,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

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