Representative Scott Taylor (R-VA) Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Rollcall

A judge in Richmond, Virginia found “out-and-out fraud” in ballot petition signatures that were submitted by the campaign staff for Republican incumbent Rep. Scott Taylor on behalf of left-leaning independent Shaun Brown.

Circuit Judge Gregory Rupe ordered Brown off the ballot at a hearing on Wednesday, after 377 signatures Taylor staffers gathered for Brown were tossed, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

It’s not clear whether Taylor or his staffers knew the submitted signatures were fraudulent.

Democrats and other political insiders suggested Taylor’s campaign wanted Brown on the ballot in an attempt to siphon votes away from Democrat Elaine Luria, who’s giving Taylor a tough re-election challenge. Though she ran as an independent this year, Brown has run for the same congressional seat as a Democrat in the past. Taylor has previously said he knew some of his campaign staffers were collecting signatures for Brown, but he denied it was to spoil the vote for Luria.

An attorney for Brown lashed out at the Virginia Democratic Party, […]