This week, Virginia State Police announced that a grand jury has indicted nearly over a dozen public officials in an alleged $21 million embezzlement scheme — including the entire Warren County Board of Supervisors.

The officials charged include Tony Carter, Tom Sayre, Archie Fox, Linda Glavis, and Chairman Daniel Murray. All five officials are Republicans.

Also charged were County Executive Douglas Stanley, former Warren schools Superintendent Luke Drescher, former County Attorney Daniel Whitten, and former County Supervisor Ron Llewellyn.

Prosecutors allege that former economic development authority director Jennifer McDonald, who has also been indicted on 28 counts, stole $21 million from her agency, diverted it into bank accounts controlled by herself, her friends, and her family, and falsified invoices to make the outlays appear legitimate — and that other county government officials were aware of the scheme.

Llewellyn has denied any involvement and insists the county investigated the matter as quickly as it could, but activists contend that McDonald could not have moved the money without inside help from county officials.

Warren County, in the Shenandoah Valley, is part of […]