HENRICO, Va. (AP) - A Virginia woman who lost a race for a seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates last year has accepted a plea deal in which she acknowledges that prosecutors had enough evidence to find her guilty of disseminating nude photos of a woman who had a brief relationship with her husband.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Sheila Bynum-Coleman, 47, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully against then-House Speaker Kirk Cox, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge of disseminating photos of another with the intent to coerce, harass or intimidate someone in a state of undress. But she stipulated to the facts of the case as presented by special prosecutor Robert Cerullo.
Cerullo has characterized Bynum-Coleman’s actions as a case of “revenge porn.”
He said the victim in the case would have testified at trial that she had a brief relationship with Bynum-Coleman’s husband. The woman said that after she ended the relationship, she received a text message that included a pornographic photo of her with the message, “Your son’s teacher is going to see this picture.”
The woman also said Bynum-Coleman came to her workplace - where Bynum-Coleman’s husband also worked - and asked the manager if there was a company policy that prohibited relationships between employees, then handed the manager explicit photos of the woman. Several days later, copies of similar photos were found taped to a stop sign outside of the business.
Judge James Yoffy accepted her plea and found the evidence was sufficient for a finding of guilt. But under terms of the plea agreement, the judge deferred a disposition in the case for one year, with the intent to dismiss the charge at that time if she successfully completes 200 hours of community service.
Defense attorney Abigail Paules declined to comment. The defense did not concede that Bynum-Coleman placed the images on the stop sign.
Bynum-Coleman, of Chesterfield, is a residential contractor. Due to her career experience, she was appointed by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe to the state’s Board of Contractors in 2016.
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