This story seems like it happened nine years ago in Virginia, but it occurred in June. Earlier this summer, Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj was removed from a burglary case by a judge who claimed her office exhibited “overt misrepresentation” of the facts to secure a plea agreement. It’s a move that most in the legal world seldom see, if ever, during their careers. Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge James Plowman removed Baburaj’s office from a criminal case involving Kevin Enrique Valle.
Valle was facing burglary, destruction of property, and falsifying identification charges. Judge Plowman said that the commonwealth attorney’s office omitted critical details about Valle, specifically his criminal history. The burglaries cited in the plea deal said they occurred within hours of each other. That’s false. Valle went on a larceny spree committing as many as 12 burglaries in four counties over ten days. Consequently, Plowman disqualified the commonwealth attorney’s office from the case.
A Loudoun Co judge has “removed and disqualified” the @LoudounOCA from criminal case in a move some attorneys & legal experts say they’ve never seen in their career.
— Lindsay Watts (@LindsayAWatts) June 12, 2022
I’m anchoring the shows on @fox5dc tonight, but have been working on this story all day https://t.co/3NoplEko4N pic.twitter.com/QjYhGddoge
On top of that, the state’s bar association said they would investigate this incident over whether Biberaj violated ethics codes and other misconduct allegations. She later said that she would appeal the judge’s decision to remove her from the Valle case. Biberaj had been criticized for how she’s handled past cases, like ones involving domestic abusers who rarely got jail time.
Now, the lawyers she’s hired for the appeal are exorbitantly expensive at $1,000/hour. How can she afford this on a local public servant’s salary? She might be billing us, the taxpayers, for her legal fees. It’s a good question.
About that case that Soros-backed @ButaBiberaj’s office got kicked off for misleading the Court . . .
— Ian Prior (@iandprior) August 18, 2022
She hired Washington D.C. megafirm Arnold & Porter for her appeal.
Billing rates well north of $1k per hour.
Who’s paying? Loudoun County taxpayers? ?? pic.twitter.com/R1DIPVDhIZ
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