Soros-funded prosecutors aren’t just eroding constitutionalism and the rule of law in American communities — they are literally placing families in harm’s way.
This is the case with Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat who received more than half a million dollars from Soros in his 2019 campaign.
Descano is being sued in federal court by a mother who says the prosecutor let her son’s rapist walk free by being months late in sharing vital evidence for a September trial.
In her lawsuit, Amber Reel argues that Descano’s failure resulted in his office having to enter into a lesser plea deal with the man who forcibly sodomized her 11-year-old son.
As the Washington Free Beacon reports, the rapist, Ronnie Reel (the boy’s uncle), faced life in prison for his crime. Now, because of the attorney’s bungling of the case, Reel won’t even have to register as a sex offender, nor will he prohibited from schools or other situations that would place him near children.
In their suit, the victim and his mother charge that Descano’s “deliberate indifference represents egregious conduct that is shocking to the conscience.”
The mother further told Fox 5 that “We have to deal with feeling like we’re in danger…. There’s other kids out there. He’s going to move into a neighborhood. What if there’s a school down the road?”
Reel also contends that Descano assured her he would keep her updated about any plea negotiations, but never did so, adding “insult to injury.”
The plaintiffs weren’t the only ones who saw a problem with the work of Descano’s office. According to the Beacon, in a September court transcript Fairfax County Circuit Court Chief Judge Penney Azcarate stated that this was “not the first time” charges had been dismissed due to the prosecutor’s negligence. Furthermore, Descano’s office broke the law by failing to provide the relevant evidence.
Fox 5 continued:
“It’s very concerning to the Court – and unfortunately, this is not the first time I’ve had this motion in the past few months,” Azcarate said, per the transcript. “So, I’m just – it’s very frustrating to the Court.”
Azcarate went on to say deadlines were “woefully, woefully missed in this case, which is just a disservice to the victim in this case and is very concerning to the Court that this case was not taken as much responsibility as it should have been.”
One law professor gave his assessment of the situation to Fox 5, saying he agreed the prosecutor failed to do his job properly. The outlet reports:
George Washington University law professor Stephen Saltzburg reviewed the transcript and agreed there was a discovery violation by the prosecution.
“It’s a shame,” Saltzburg said. “The victim is disserved. The public is disserved. But the constitutional rights of this defendant are upheld.”
But he said many judges would have handled this differently. Saltzburg suggested sanctioning the prosecutor, freeing the defendant and granting a continuance could be one remedy.
“I have the feeling from reading the transcript that there may have been more here than just this case,” Saltzburg said. “I get the sense the judge was sending a message to the Fairfax County prosecutor’s office.”
On Tuesday, Descano moved to dismiss the lawsuit against him, using the argument that federal law makes prosecutors “immune from liability” in these cases and that he should not face consequences for the actions of his assistant prosecutors.
Outraged Virginians are taking action to see justice. Last week, a group of victims of crime called on Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, both Republicans, to initiate an investigation of Descano “for possible neglect of duty, misuse of office, incompetence, and violations of the civil rights of crime victims.”
Jenna Kuhn, the owner of Sully’s Pour House, which this month was threatened by a gunman who was let off easy by Descano’s office, was among those who added her voice to call for an investigation, saying: “Steve Descano’s office has shown more concern for those who commit crimes than those who are victimized. Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares should help us uncover how and how many victims have been trampled over by Steve Descano.”
Earlier this year, Republicans attempted to pass a bill that would have allowed for greater accountability in these situations by empowering Attorney General Miyares to pursue cases against soft-on-crime prosecutors like Descano, but Democrats in the Virginia Legislature killed the bill.
