Former candidate for Richmond City Council accused of election fraud

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A former candidate for Richmond City Council has been indicted on multiple counts of election fraud.

During a press conference on Monday, Oct. 6, Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin announced that a grand jury had indicted Tavares Floyd on four felony counts of election fraud.

Specifically, Floyd is accused of willfully making material false statements related to an election.

These offenses allegedly occurred between June and September 2024, while Floyd was campaigning for Richmond City Council. He was running for the 6th District seat against Willie Hilliard, as well as current councilmember Ellen Robertson -- who he previously served under as her liaison and chief of staff.

McEachin did not go into further detail about what false statements Floyd is accused of making. However, it's notable that each offense date matches up with a date Floyd filed a report about cash contributions his campaign received, per the Virginia Board of Elections' website.

According to McEachin, Virginia State Police conducted dozens of interviews and obtained documentary evidence prior to this indictment.

Each of the four charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

No additional information is available as of the time of reporting.