Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspaper.com
A Montgomery County circuit court jury has found Blacksburg councilman Liam Watson guilty of election fraud.
The charges stemmed from a discrepancy involving his place of residency. His trial began in a Montgomery County courtroom on Friday, Dec.12 and the jury found him guilty on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Watson testified he had no formal Blacksburg address. Prosecutors argued that then-Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith gave Watson approval to use a rental address in her name as a mail drop point.
At the time, Watson had a residence in Richmond and had been staying at his parent’s home in Montgomery County, not within Blacksburg town limits.
In 2022, he was appointed to the Blacksburg Planning Commission. Watson is the youngest councilman elected in the history of the Town of Blacksburg at age 24.
He was charged in July 2024 on two counts of felony election fraud and one count of illegally voting in an election. He was elected to council in 2023. In order to be a member of council and to run for council, candidates are required to have residency in the town.
Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Patrick Jensen told the jury Watson deceived the residents in the town of Blacksburg. Watson’s attorneys turned the blame on Hager-Smith, saying she had misguided him, leading up to the election.
In this case, applying a false material statement on a Virginia required form is a Class 5 Felony. Illegal voting is considered a Class 6 Felony.
In Virginia, a Class 5 felony can include a prison term of not less than one year but not more than 10 years, or confinement in jail for up to 12 months and/or a fine of up to $2,500. A Class 6 felony can include a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years, or a fine of not more than $2,500, or both.
