A former member of the Virginia House of Delegates won the Democrat primary for the state senate Tuesday night, even though he was jailed four years ago for having sex with a minor whom he later married.
Joe Morrissey defeated incumbent state Sen. Rosalyn Dance by 14 points Tuesday night. Morrissey, now 61, was in his 50’s when he was accused of having sex with his 17-year-old secretary, to whom he is now married. He claimed he did nothing wrong, but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in 2015 while admitting there was enough evidence to convict him. (This often happens to innocent and guilty defendants alike, they plead to a lesser crime to avoid worse consequences in front of a jury for a larger crime.) The girl and her mother also denied anything untoward was happening between the two, though he was initially indicted on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography (he had, according to prosecutors, a nude photograph of the girl and had sent it to a friend) and the electronic solicitation of a minor.
Morrissey, according to Fox News, spent six months in jail for “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” but continued serving as a state legislator during that time.
Morrissey had originally resigned from his House District seat after conviction but won it back in a special election and served as a delegate while in jail. – READ MORE