NORFOLK, Va. - A federal grand jury sitting in Norfolk, Va., has indicted Leroy Scott, Jr., 49, of Suffolk, on five offenses including conspiracy, witness tampering, retaliation against federal witnesses and the use of a firearm resulting in the murder of one of the witnesses.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed this afternoon.
According to the fivecount indictment, the defendant is alleged to have conspired to prevent Junior Bivins, Jr. and other individuals, from testifying in a court proceeding that related to Scott’s and his associates’ drug distribution activities, weapons violations and other criminal offenses. Scott also sought retaliation against Bivins and others for providing information to law enforcement officers, resulting in the first degree murder of Bivins on or about Nov. 20, 2001 in Suffolk, Virginia.
If convicted of the murder offense, Scott faces a maximum potential punishment of death. Scott is scheduled to be arraigned on these offenses on Feb. 15, 2013, in U.S. District Court, Norfolk.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Suffolk Police Department. Assistant U.S. Laura Everhart is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
