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Prosecutor gets off
VIRGINIA BEACH — City Attorney J. Dale Bimson committed a technical violation of the state’s conflict-of-interest act but will not be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations, says Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul A. Sciortino.
Mr. Sciortino called the violation minor and said he was satisfied that Mr. Bimson committed no other conflict violations while working as a hearing officer for the state.
“I don’t think he had any intention to break the law,” Mr. Sciortino said Tuesday. “He didn’t do it knowingly.”
Mr. Sciortino ordered an investigation in late June after a Chesapeake resident filed complaints about the city attorney working as a state hearing officer arbitrating disputes between government agencies and citizens.
Records show that Mr. Bimson earned more than $7,000 since 1978 on hearings for the Education Department and more than $1,000 in 1982 and 1983 on sessions for the Commerce Department.
Mr. Sciortino said all the complaints were unfounded except for Mr. Bimson’s having held one hearing in 1979 with the local School Board.
Although Mr. Bimson was allowed by state law to conduct the session, he was required to disclose his involvement in writing to the City Council and the School Board.
“Although it appears that the parties to the hearing were aware of Mr. Bimson’s relationship to the city, it appears that the written disclosure as a matter of record was not made, thus constituting a technical violation of the statute,” Mr. Sciortino said.
The prosecutor said the misdemeanor violation is covered by a statute of limitations of two years, and six years have elapsed since Bimson had the hearing.
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