Virginia: 300-page indictment against mayor of Appalachia plus 13
The Briston Herald Courier reports: It had nothing to do with pork rinds.
It was about 14 people who schemed to put Ben Cooper in charge of the town of Appalachia and its police department, prosecutors said Thursday.
With Cooper firmly entrenched as mayor, town manager and head of the police department, some would get town jobs and others could engage in unchecked criminal behavior, according to a 269-count election fraud and conspiracy indictment returned by a Wise County grand jury.
The 300-page indictment outlines an alleged conspiracy to fix the Town Council race so the 14 people charged Thursday would benefit in various ways.
For the scheme to work, they had to help Cooper retain his Town Council seat and get Owen Anderson Sharrett III and another man elected so Cooper would be tapped as mayor, the indictment alleges. -- TriCities.com - News - It had nothing to do with pork rinds