Virginia registration fraud case expanded

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HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The investigation of a man accused of throwing away Virginia voter registration forms has expanded to include the company he worked for, officials said.

The grand jury testimony of Colin Small, who is charged with dumping completed registration forms into a recycling bin, has been halted by state prosecutors who are now investigating the firm that employed Small, Strategic Allied Consulting, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Strategic Allied Consulting is tied to top Republican leaders, including GOP operative Nathan Sproul. Voter registration work by a Sproul company prompted a fraud investigation in Florida as well.

Citing two officials close to the case, the newspaper said authorities were investigating whether any of Small's supervisors instructed him or any of his co-workers in Virginia to ask potential voters about their political leanings during registration drives. Asking such questions could be a violation of state election law.

Rockingham County Commonwealth Attorney Marsha Garst, who is overseeing the case, said Friday she could not describe the nature of the case, but said, "This is a very important investigation to the state, and we intend to prosecute Mr. Small to the fullest extent."

A spokesman for Sproul, David Leibowitz, said Sproul and his company are cooperating with elections authorities in Florida and Virginia and "will continue to do everything within our power to uncover any unethical or illegal activity."