Police investigate Loudoun County elected officials after taxpayer-funded travel: Sources

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Did Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall and other elected officials break state law with how they spent their time and taxpayer money on lavish international trips?

According to sources familiar with the situation, the Virginia State Police is looking into it.

READ | Emails show staff warning Loudoun Co. Chair Phyllis Randall about Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ laws

For the past year, 7News has been showing how Loudoun County tax dollars were spent on elected officials’ international sister city trips.

The Virginia State Police is investigating the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors taxpayer-funded international travel, according to sources familiar with the situation.

ALSO READ | Loudoun County officials take taxpayer-funded trip to Uruguay, visit wineries, cannabis lab and horse farm

7News was the first to show how Chair Randall and Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman spent tax dollars on a trip to Uruguay last year and how Randall, Loudoun County Supervisor Koran Saines, Loudoun County Supervisor Sylvia Glass, and county staff spent their time and tax dollars last year for a trip to Ghana.

7News showed how the elected officials spent more than $7,300 each on airline tickets in United Polaris Business class to and from Ghana, they stayed at a five-star resort on the beach, and they spent time at tourist hot spots. Randall and Saines also brought a political donor’s husband on the trip and tax dollars were used for his hotel, plane ticket and food.

In a public records request, 7News found the county purchased a digital camera. 7News submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all the photos taken on the trips. 7News received several photos from the FOIA request, including a picture of Briskman enjoying a swim in the water in Uruguay.

Randall and Briskman flew business class to Uruguay, stayed at a five-star resort overlooking a beach, visited wineries, and a cannabis lab, and participated in a beachside seafood lunch and visited an equestrian club for sunset cocktails.

And Briskman billed the county for her oversized bag fee on the way home from Uruguay.

Randall brought her husband with her to Ghana. And Randall upgraded her hotel room because her husband was with her. That more than doubled the cost of Randall’s hotel room, which tax dollars were used for until 7News began asking questions.

DETAILS | Taxpayers foot the bill for Loudoun County politicians’ lavish $60,000 trip to Ghana

The day after 7News Reporter Nick Minock asked Randall about her hotel room upgrade in July 2023, Randall said she reflected on 7News’ question, and she told us she would reimburse the county for the difference in the hotel room upgrade.

But when 7News checked in with the county two months later, 7News found Randall only paid back half of the difference.

Later that year, a third-party audit was done on the county. The audit looked into Randall’s hotel room upgrade.

The audit said Randall repaid the rest of the hotel room upgrade to the county days before the audit was made public in December. The audit raised red flags about the county’s travel policy and recommended changes.

When 7News asked what residents of Loudoun County are getting from these trips, Randall answered:

“$1.37 billion in commercial investment,” Randall said. “2,500 new jobs, $1.37 billion in investment, over 100 new businesses.”

As a 7News investigation found, Randall — and other county supervisors — drastically exaggerated how many jobs and investments her trips have generated in Loudoun County.

MORE | Loudoun County supervisors appear to exaggerate sister city trip economic benefit

And Randall still has not provided evidence that her lavish trips have directly brought jobs and investments to Loudoun County.

Randall has gone on at least seven international trips paid for with tax dollars.

7News asked the Virginia State Police about their investigation into the elected officials.

The Virginia State Police said it’s their policy not to comment on investigations of elected officials.

On June 28, 2024, 7News asked Randall, Briskman, Saines, and Glass, “What is your response to the Virginia State Police looking into your travel that was paid for by tax dollars?”

Randall, Briskman, Saines, and Glass still have not responded to 7News’ question.