Former Sheriff Daniel W. Presgraves, 47, a resident of Luray, Virginia, was sentenced to 19 months of federal incarceration and ordered to forfeit $75,000 for his admitted role in a pattern of racketeering activities.
Presgraves was indicted in October 2008 in a 22-count indictment and charged with a multitude of charges. In August 2009, the former sheriff pled guilty to one count of racketeering, admitting to specific acts of racketeering contained in the indictment.
Specifically, the defendant admitted to attempting to persuade certain former employees of the Page County Sheriff’s Office, and their families, from speaking to Federal authorities about his illegal activity. Presgraves also admitted that he improperly used inmates from the Page County Jail, which as sheriff was under his supervision, to perform unapproved personal and commercial tasks at his home and in relation to his business as a contractor. This illegal labor was used by the defendant for both personal and financial gain.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Virginia State Police.
Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.
From a release.