Hopewell councilor in court again, a day after guilty verdict in felony trial

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- Less than 24 hours after being found guilty of felony embezzlement of public money, Hopewell councilman Dominic Holloway appeared in court again -- for an eviction case over unpaid rent.

On Tuesday, July 29, a jury found Holloway guilty for misusing public funds by using a city credit card to pay for nearly $700 of food for a family event after his cousin's funeral.

On Wednesday, July 30, he was found liable for thousands in unpaid rent, and the Hopewell District Court ordered his eviction.

His sentencing in the embezzlement case is scheduled for September 2, 2025. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison plus a $100,000 fine.

According to Virginia State code, Holloway's felony conviction forces him to forfeit his seat on the Hopewell City council. Pending his sentencing hearing, the city of Hopewell can petition the circuit court to suspend him from his position as councilor.

The guilty verdict was the culmination of embezzlement charges first issued in October of 2023. The trial was moved from Hopewell to Charles City County after Hopewell attorneys and judges recused themselves. It was then delayed again after Holloway failed to appear in January.

The Commonwealth's case on Tuesday said Holloway had then-city clerk Brittani Williams use a city credit card to pay for $690 of food that she then delivered to a family member's apartment building.

The Commonwealth said that food was for a family event following the funeral of Holloway's cousin, which he officiated.

Holloway's defense, however, claimed it was a public event for 'Stop the Violence,' his anti-violence initiative. The defense said this event was planned far in advance of the death of his cousin, and produced a flyer promoting the event as evidence.

The prosecution pointed out that flyer wasn't shared on Holloway's Facebook page until after the death.

Holloway's aunt Vanessa Patrick was one witness actually at the July 1 event in question, and she testified that there was only family there, rather than constituents as Holloway's defense portrayed.

8News was in the courtroom, where Holloway was frustrated with his representation, whispering to his brother in the gallery, "He's not asking my questions."

At one point, when the jury was not in the room, Holloway told Judge Joshua DeFord he wanted to represent himself in the case, rather than continue with his attorney J. Todd DuVal. DeFord strongly advised him against this, and Holloway ultimately decided to move forward with DuVal as his representation.

When the jury returned, Holloway was called as the defense's next witness. But when he was questioned about the timeline of events, he rambled without giving straight answers.

The jury was visibly uncomfortable during his long testimony, shifting in their seats and sometimes holding back laughter.

In closing statements, the Commonwealth Attorney Derek Davis recalled Holloway's testimony, and said it was hard to get a straight answer from him.

Ultimately, the jury spent less than an hour deliberating before they returned a guilty verdict.

In Hopewell Combined District Court on Wednesday, Holloway appeared in front of a judge again, this time for unpaid rent resulting in a civil claim for eviction.

This case was first filed in March 2025, and today the judgement ordered an immediate writ of eviction. Holloway was found liable for the unpaid rent of over $5000.

Back in 2023, Holloway was found liable in another case, where he was ordered to pay $5600 to the mother of an 8-year-old murder victim. That mother said Holloway set up a GoFundMe to help her family, but took part of the money and used it to pay child support.

8News has reached out to Holloway, Hopewell Mayor John Partin, and the Hopewell City Council about these matters.

At time of reporting, none have responded.