Descano faces a Primary challenger
Brittany Dunn-Pirio, a career prosecutor, has launched a campaign against Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, who is up for re-election in 2027.
They will face off in a Democratic Primary, expected to be scheduled for next spring.
“If this office were doing its job, I wouldn’t be running against it. I’d be applying to work for it. But it isn’t,” Dunn-Pirio says on her website.
“This race isn’t about whether reform was right. It’s about whether the office can tell the difference between a first-time nonviolent offender who deserves a second chance and a violent or sexual offender who doesn’t,” she says. “It’s about whether deadlines are met, evidence is given to the defendant, and victims are spoken to.”
As an example of Descano’s failures, Dunn-Pirio cites the case of Mustafa Eltayeb, who had been charged with reckless driving for killing Sean King, a pedestrian on a sidewalk on Leesburg Pike in Seven Corners in June. After pleading guilty, Eltayeb was given a 60-day sentence, which was suspended upon the completion of 20 hours of community service.
In another case, Descano failed to prosecute a known sex offender, Richard Cox, who was arrested for exposing himself to a woman at a Planet Fitness locker room. At the time, Descano’s office said they don’t prosecute people who choose to defend themselves.
Descano, meanwhile, has faced scrutiny from Republicans in Congress who have accused him of dropping charges and approving lenient plea deals for undocumented immigrants. Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has subpoenaed Descano for failing to submit documents related to the office’s handling of cases involving “foreign national criminals.”
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Descano also faces a recall petition initiated by Cheryl Minter, the mother of Stephanie Minter, who was stabbed to death at a bus stop in February by Abdul Jalloh. The petition complains that Jalloh had been charged with numerous violent crimes in the past but had served minimal time in jail despite the urging of Fairfax County Police officials not to release him.
Dunn-Pirio is an associate in the Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman law firm in Alexandria. Before that, she was an assistant U.S. attorney but quit last November because the independence of the Department of Justice was compromised.
“I couldn’t stomach propping up a system that gave pardons to the well-connected while prosecuting average Americans for the exact same conduct,” she says.
Previous positions include assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Frederick County and assistant attorney general of Virginia, where she specialized in domestic violence and child sexual abuse cases.
“I’ve personally prosecuted everything from DUI to murder, practiced at every level of Virginia’s and Fairfax’s courts, including the Supreme Court of Virginia, and secured lengthy prison sentences for sexual and violent offenders, all without ever once requesting cash bail,” Dunn-Pirio says.
“For defendants who deserved a second chance, I’ve recommended treatment instead,” she says. “I have the judgment and experience to recognize when the answer is accountability, when it is rehabilitation, and when it is a combination.”
This is a welcome development. Descano has to go.
Oh thank heaven. There is a God
I’ve been waiting for this! Someone who believes in reform, but can execute it effectively and not botch stuff up, while also perhaps remove the most outrageous policies (I’m sorry, but can we not consider whether someone is in the country legally/illegally when deciding how to prosecute? That policy is mind boggling even for those of us who believe in a more compassionate system).
We need an attorney with respectability. Hopefully Dunn-Pirio can restore some of that. Her decision to leave the DOJ is a good indicator of a working moral compass.
So far and based on this article in Annandale Today alone, this candidate is light years ahead of the incumbent commonwealth attorney that let’s criminals out to harm us all, recuse’s himself from prosecution of other politicians (such as Mason Supervisor Speedy Jimenez), and her apparent approach would work with FCPD and citizens interest.
More and stronger justice delivered is a necessity. Can the Blog reach out to the candidate on her thoughts on the recent Mason Supervisor speeding deal? Also, her position on repeat juvenile offenders as well as the possibility in charging the parents (prosecutors can do this, but the DMV area seems less than willing to charge parents with contributing to the delinquency of minors).
We can’t get rid of Descano soon enough. He is allowed crime to run rampant in Mason District. FCPD can’t do their jobs because of his incompetence. If I could vote him out tomorrow, I would. I’m so grateful that there is competition to get rid of him. I voted for my cat when Descano ran for office who understands the rule of law, justice and accountability better than this nitwit.
Hopefully we can vote Descano’s buddy Jiminez out too and hope that their political careers will be over so they can’t ruin anymore communities! It would be like Thelma and Luis driving off into the sunset in Jiminez late model Porsche…..Bon voyage. This would be a double hitter. I’m getting out my party hat and dancing shoes!
I’m a staunch Republican but I welcome this challenge from Brittany Dunn-Pirio and I hope she will win since I know a Republican doesn’t stand a chance in hell of beating Descano. Go Brittany. We definitely need a change in that office.
So glad to see Brittany challenging Descano. But she will need all of us working hard to help her win this race. This will not be easy. Do what you can — tell your friends, campaign, donate, whatever. There are many Fairfax residents who are ignorant of the terrible job Descano is doing – educate your friends on social media and talk up Brittany. I am not part of her campaign, I just want to see her win, and it is will take a strong effort from all of us to make it happen.