The Vermont attorney general has no plans to further investigate former Washington County State’s Attorney Scott Williams concerning a “community fund” that reportedly took donations from defendants whose cases were dismissed.
Attorney General TJ Donovan said Wednesday he reviewed the allegations and planned no criminal investigation. Instead, he ordered that Williams’ office return $75,000 it had been holding to the charitable organization it came from, which had been thought to be defunct.
Any further review of Williams’ conduct, Donovan said, should be handled by the board that oversees attorney ethics, the Professional Responsibility Board. Williams has denied any wrongdoing and said claims he traded donations for case dismissals was a “mischaracterization,” despite published reports.
Williams resigned Monday, saying he needed continued treatment for post-traumatic stress caused in part by witnessing the murder of social worker Lara Sobel in 2015 in downtown Barre. He has been on medical leave since Nov. 14. The Vermont Supreme Court suspended his law license because his medical condition left him unable to practice.
Gov. Phil Scott appointed Rory Thibault, an assistant attorney general, as an interim replacement Tuesday. Thibault previously was a deputy prosecutor in Washington County.
“We looked into it,” Donovan said. “We reviewed the situation and rectified it.”
According to reports, several defendants had their cases dismissed after agreeing to make a payment to a new “community fund” that Williams planned. Ethical questions were raised, including by John Campbell, the executive director of the organization that oversees county prosecutors. Despite Williams’ denials of taking donations in return for case dismissals, several lawyers and defendants reported such payments.
Donovan said “there is no investigation — based on the information we have today — of any allegations of misappropriation of funds.” Williams told the Professional Responsibility Board that none of the money his office held had been spent.
Donovan added: “I think Scott Williams made the right decision stepping down — best interests of him, best interests of Washington County, best interests for the integrity of the system. I think what we need to do is to hit the reset button with Rory in there and make sure justice is being done for all Vermonters.”
He offered Thibault legal support and an “all hands on deck” approach during the transition.
The attorney general’s office oversees the state’s charities. On Thursday, Donovan announced the $75,000 the state’s attorney’s office held had been transferred back to the Washington County Victim Assistance Emergency Fund. That group had sought to disband in 2016 and gave its money to the state’s attorney’s office but never technically dissolved.
That group, Donovan said, would now formally disband and give its money to another group assisting crime victims. The AG’s office must be given prior notice of the transfer of funds in all cases where charities disband and redistribute their remaining accounts.
Williams told the PRB his intent was to use the transferred funds and any further donations to form a new charitable organization, focused on criminal justice reforms and victim assistance. The group was never formally established.
Williams was elected to a four-year term in 2014.
Read the story on VTDigger here: AG: No further investigation of prosecutor’s victim fund.
