CHESAPEAKE — A criminal investigation started by Chesapeake law enforcement into allegations of bribery and political corruption was handed off to the FBI — with a local prosecutor at one point warning that interference from the highest levels of City Hall could derail it.
The allegations and scope of the local investigation were detailed in a letter obtained by The Virginian-Pilot. The letter was written by Chesapeake Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Hamel and sent to city officials in August 2022. Three people who participated in FBI interviews also spoke with The Pilot about questions asked by federal investigators.
The local investigation, according to the letter, centered on bribery and political corruption “alleged to have been perpetrated by Shirley Forbes, as well as possibly implicating members of the Forbes family, various developers and other elected officials.” Shirley Forbes is the wife of former U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes and runs a consulting firm that works with developers on projects that need city approval.
Randy Forbes called the investigation “bogus” and characterized it as politically motivated.
Hamel’s letter also raised a concern of “potential threats of intimidation or efforts to stifle a proper investigation by current elected or political party officials.”
Specifically, Hamel wrote he was given “credible information of very recent, potential criminal acts of interference,” based on an allegation that Mayor Rick West was attempting to discuss with law enforcement the ongoing criminal investigation. West has denied discussing the investigation with Chesapeake police other than to ask about the investigatory process.
It’s unclear where the investigation stands today, as local and federal law enforcement officials have declined to comment about its status. Further, no charges have been publicly filed against Shirley Forbes or West.
After multiple phone calls and text messages to reach Shirley Forbes, who is vice chairman of programs for the Republican Party of Chesapeake, she agreed to be interviewed by phone this week. Before a reporter could begin asking questions, Randy Forbes shared a statement before abruptly ending the call. Multiple attempts to reach Shirley Forbes after the phone call were not successful.
In the brief interview, Randy Forbes said being investigated is a “price you pay for being involved in politics or government today.” He said his wife “has never been contacted by anybody because there’s never been enough merit to justify her being contacted.”
“Investigations have become political props, whereby some political operative makes an allegation they know will cause an investigation,” Randy Forbes said. “Then they go around screaming their opponent is under investigation. Of course, never saying they started the investigation.”
In an effort to better understand the scope of the investigation, The Virginian-Pilot talked to three people who participated in FBI interviews between the summer of 2022 and early 2023.
Three sources, who were granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation, say investigators asked a wide range of questions touching on both the political influence of Shirley Forbes and her influence on real estate development projects, as well as her consulting business practices.
A source said the FBI’s questions also touched on an alleged bribe accepted by West.
Reached by phone, West denied the bribery allegation and said it was the first he had heard of it. He denied interfering in any investigation but also told The Pilot that after hearing people talk about allegations of a potential investigation at the time, he spoke with then-Police Chief Kelvin Wright to ask only about how the process works.
“I just thought it was incredible, in a democracy and America the way it is today, that someone could come in and make an accusation and it become an active investigation,” West said.
When asked if he has talked to the FBI, West said, “I really don’t know that I have.”
West, who is running for reelection, is skeptical of the investigation. He said it was motivated by his political adversaries, namely Chesapeake council member Robert Ike “and his crew,” though he declined to specify who that included.
“My response is that it’s a politically motivated group of people that have been trying to say things that aren’t true about innocent people in this city – people that have made this city what it is,” West said. “It’s been five or six years. They’ve been saying the same things. All they want to do is get you to put it in the paper so it’ll put that suspicion on innocent people like me.”
Ike is seeking reelection Nov. 5.
“This investigation was initiated by a developer who felt he was getting shaken down by Shirley Forbes and her company,” Ike said. “If the mayor wants to blame me for it, I’m fine with that. But I still stand on what’s right, what’s legal. And what is criminal, what is corrupt – I’m against that.”
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Letter details local investigation
What is known about the scope and focus of the investigation comes from the Aug. 5, 2022 letter Hamel sent to City Manager Chris Price and then-City Attorney Jacob Stroman, and from interviews conducted with individuals who participated in FBI interviews.
Hamel wrote that he was informing Price and Stroman of an ongoing criminal investigation in which he directed a senior attorney on his staff to liaise with the Chesapeake Police Department to “investigate allegations of bribery and political corruption in our City.” Specifically, the investigation centered on the Virginia code section regarding bribery of public servants and party officials.
Reached by phone, Hamel declined to comment.
Hamel also outlined in his letter a fear that the mayor’s alleged interference in the ongoing investigation could amount to “potential obstruction of justice and violation of the Chesapeake City Charter.” Hamel was also worried it could lead to “potential threats of retaliatory employment decisions,” specifically regarding the promotion of then-Deputy Police Chief Mark Solesky. Chief Wright retired in August 2022 , around the time the letter was sent.
In the letter, Hamel asked both Price and Stroman for their cooperation to ensure the investigation proceeded “smoothly and with alacrity,” and that Chesapeake police officers should be assured their cooperation won’t impact their employment with the city.
Stroman resigned as Chesapeake City Attorney in January 2023. Reached by phone, Stroman declined to comment. Price did not respond to multiple requests for comment via phone and email.
In Chesapeake, police chiefs are hired by the city manager, who also works for City Council. As city managers oversee city employees, the city charter prohibits council members from interfering with a city manager’s hiring and firing decisions.
Reached by phone, Wright said he recalled the investigation but did not recall being personally contacted by West or questioned about the status of the investigation.
“He may very well have talked to me and asked me how the process works because I get questions a lot about how the process works of any kind of investigation,” he said. “To the best of my recollection, I have no recall whatsoever of him ever asking me how that investigation was going, or anything with that investigation, because it was something that was very closely kept.”
Wright, who spent 40 years in the department before retiring, said he’s “never had anyone in public office ever try to influence” an investigation or law enforcement.
The Chesapeake Police Department has not responded to multiple requests for comment, including questions about the status of the investigation. In the phone call with The Pilot, Randy Forbes said the FBI has sent letters to the police department stating “that all these allegations have been meritless.” Chesapeake police didn’t respond to a question about whether the department received such a letter.
Spokespeople for both the FBI in Norfolk’s field office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia told The Pilot they can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the investigation, citing FBI and Department of Justice policies.
Reached by phone, Solesky referred a reporter to the department’s public information officer for his statement, but the spokesperson did not respond to a list of emailed questions. Another attempt to reach Solesky for comment was unsuccessful.
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Political fallout
As the investigation was underway behind the scenes, fissures had already been forming publicly along a council body that, until around that time, had voted unanimously on almost everything and publicly got along well.
Hamel stated in the letter he purposefully kept his own personal interactions in the investigation to a minimum so as to avoid the appearance of political pressure for a particular result, adding that a special prosecutor could be necessary following “the receipt and results of a complete and thorough investigation.” Hamel is a former City Council member who vacated his seat after being elected Chesapeake’s Commonwealth Attorney in 2021.
Shirley Forbes has been active in the Chesapeake Republican party for years. Through her role with the Chesapeake GOP, Shirley Forbes is deemed influential in which candidates are ultimately endorsed by the party in upcoming elections. Though local elections are nonpartisan, political parties still back a slate of candidates.
Several current and former council members believe the result of bucking the dominant power structure has resulted in political retribution. In a recent mayoral candidate forum, Don Carey, a sitting council member challenging West in the upcoming mayoral election, spoke about how he was “attacked,” “ostracized,” and “pretty much ran out of” the local GOP.
He said that was a result of his decision to support the appointment of former council member Dwight Parker to replace Hamel in 2021 — a divisive vote that showcased one of the earliest fractures that have since characterized the Republicans on city council.
Carey, who once had the Chesapeake Republican party’s endorsement, is running for mayor as a Democrat.
When the local GOP chose its slate of candidates this year, Ike, who formerly had the party’s support, was also no longer endorsed. He told The Pilot he hasn’t spoken directly to Shirley Forbes since 2013 due to a disagreement they had regarding a development project in which Ike said she “misrepresented my support on a project.”
Though he received the party’s endorsement in two subsequent elections, he described the catalyst for losing it to joining several other top Republicans — including Carey — in 2022 to revoke support of council member Amanda Newins , who was being sued civilly and criminally investigated for claims of elder abuse at the time. Newins was among the candidates endorsed by the GOP in her 2022 election bid.
A jury in 2023 acquitted Newins on a felony charge of using fraudulent means to get her great uncle and aunt to give their house to her. The civil lawsuit was also dismissed last year after both parties settled their dispute.
“(The) management of the Chesapeake Republican Party, led by Shirley Forbes, made sure that she exacted her revenge against those of us that signed that letter by not endorsing us,” Ike said.
But Randy Forbes defended West and other Republicans, including Newins and council member Debbie Ritter, who’s seeking reelection and has the Chesapeake GOP’s endorsement. He added that Shirley Forbes is “only in the line of fire here because her husband refused to endorse bad candidates.”
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
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