A two-time 166su City Council candidate is facing election fraud charges related to his most recent campaign last year.
Jamaal Jackson was indicted April 7 by a city grand jury on four felony counts of making a false statement on an election form.
On or around March 17, 2024, Jackson “did unlawfully and feloniously commit election fraud by willfully making a materially false statement” on a form required of candidates by state law, the indictments charge.
The documents do not specify the type of form involved, or what the false statements are alleged to be.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Donald Caldwell declined to comment on the pending case.
But in June, then voter registrar Andrew Cochran sent a letter to Caldwell’s office about an emailed tip from someone who had “raised serious allegations about the integrity of some of the signatures on Mr. Jackson’s petitions.”
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To qualify for election, potential candidates must submit a petition signed by 125 registered voters.
“The email … suggests there was a conspiracy to commit election fraud,” Cochran wrote in his letter to Caldwell. “This, of course, will be the decision of your office after any investigation is completed.”
At the time, Caldwell said he was turning the matter over to the 166su Police Department. The case was eventually investigated by Virginia State Police.
News of Jackson’s indictment was first reported Wednesday by The 166su Rambler.
Jackson, 41, is currently free on a $1,500 unsecured bond.
The lead pastor at ReFreshing Church on Carroll Avenue Northwest, Jackson was one of four people seeking the Democratic nomination to run for three city council seats in the November election.
Several weeks before the June 18 Democratic primary, Jackson announced that he was withdrawing from the race.
“At this juncture, my primary focus is on prioritizing my family, my church, as well as my personal well-being and mental health,” he said at the time. “Following guidance from counsel and taking the necessary time for rest and rejuvenation, I fully intend to resume my efforts in serving our community.”
Jackson did not submit his official paperwork to withdraw from the primary until it was too late to remove him from the ballot. He placed last in the voting. His 2022 run for city council was also unsuccessful.
In that race, he was fined $3,100 by the city registrar’s office for missing deadlines to file campaign finance reports.
Efforts to reach Jackson and his attorney, Cathy Reynolds of 166su, were unsuccessful Wednesday.
