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Commonwealth's Attorney

BIOGRAPHY - WILLIAM F. NEELY

Education:

1970	Spotsylvania High School
1974	Emory & Henry College	Bachelor of Arts in English
1981	University of Virginia	Juris Doctor in Law
1981	Virginia Bar Admission

Other service:

Virginia Criminal Justice Conference - Steering Committee
Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney's Service and Training Council - 1st District Representative
Virginia State Bar 6th District Discipline Committee
Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church - charter member and Elder
Spotsylvania Lions Club - member
Rappahannock Regional Jail Board - member and past president
Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center - board member

Accomplishments:

Established County's first full-time prosecutor's office - 1988.
Established first area Commonwealth's Attorney's office restitution collection account for crime victims - 1988 (collected nearly $1,000,000 in restitution for crime victims since 1988).
Established Spotsylvania Victim/Witness Assistance Program - 1996.
Collected over $200,000 from "deadbeat" parents in criminal nonsupport prosecutions since 1997.
Instituted drug forfeiture procedures to benefit local law enforcement agencies.
Instrumental in establishing Spotsylvania's participation in Regional Narcotics Task Force - 1990-1997.
Instituted Spotsylvania's first investigative grand jury. In 2007, their work resulted in Virginia's first drug distribution-related racketeering and organized crime (RICO) conviction and Virginia's first $1 million criminal asset forfeiture. In 2004, the work of the investigative grand jury resulted in shutting down 2 illegal massage parlors and in convictions for prostitution, money laundering and pandering prostitution, plus significant criminal asset forfeitures.
Supervise prosecution of over 19,000 criminal cases annually with a staff of 2 Deputy Commonwealth's Attorneys, 7 Assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys, 2 victim/witness workers, and 8 legal assistants.

William F. Neely personally prosecuted the following significant cases :

2012	Commonwealth v. Paul Harbison	Embezzlement from the American Legion	6 years
2011	Commonwealth v. Benny W. McCroskey, Jr.	Second degree murder, Grand Larceny	25 years murder and grand larceny.
2010	Commonwealth v. Rosalind Wright	$350,000 Embezzlement	20 years with 18 1/2 suspended in addition to collection of $190,000 in restitution before sentencing, defendant to pay balance on probation
2010	Commonwealth v. Sandra Allison	$263,000 Embezzlement	20 years with 19 suspended and ordered to pay restitution in full on probation
2010	Commonwealth v. Timothy Tychan	$496,000 Construction Lien Fraud	Pled guilty and ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution before sentencing in 2015; then balance of restitution to be paid after sentencing
2009	Commonwealth v. Jermaine Montgomery	Capital Murder of Yong Zhang	3 life sentences
2008	Commonwealth v. Cecil Byrant	Forcible Sodomy on a Teenage Boy	23 years
2007	Commonwealth v. Cleave Williams, Jr.	Murder of elderly couple	2 life sentences
2006	Commonwealth v. Marvin M. Parker, Jr.	Murder of Baron Braswell	30 years
2005	Commonwealth v. Deanna Large	Virginia's first involuntary manslaughter conviction arising from a pit bull dog mauling. Resulted in 2006 in passage of Senate Bill 200 (Va. Code 3.1-796.93:1(J)), creating Virginia's first felony offense for willfully allowing dangerous dogs to maul & injure people.	3 years
2004	Commonwealth v. Fuentes & Thomas	Malicious wounding, robbery of an elderly woman	30 years (with 18 suspended)
2003	Commonwealth v. Tamir Wilson	Home invasion burglary, robbery & forcible sodomy	42 years (with 10 suspended)
2002	Commonwealth v. John Calavetinos	Rape, forcible sodomy & burglary	2 life sentences
2001	Commonwealth v. Danny Yau	Conspiracy to distribute 700 pounds of marijuana	10 years, plus $65,000 drug asset forfeiture
1999	Commonwealth v. Michael Morris	(capital) murder, rape, robbery & abduction	2 life sentences, plus 40 years
1998	Commonwealth v. Floyd Lane	Rape & sodomy (3rd offense) of girl	100 years
1997	Commonwealth v. Thomas Bresco	Abduction & rape	30 years
1996	Commonwealth v. Timothy Flaherty	Sodomy upon 7 year old girl	20 years
1996	Commonwealth v. James Kay	Abduction & rape	31 years
1996	Commonwealth v. Gregory Johnson	Murder & robbery	35 years
1995	Commonwealth v. Mark Anderson	Rape, robbery, armed burglary	68 years
1994	Commonwealth v. Paul Meredith	Abduction & rape of high school girl	88 years
1994	Commonwealth v. Percy Banks	Rape of young girl	15 years
1993	Commonwealth v. Michael Chewning	Murder of his grandmother	50 years
1992	Commonwealth v. Ralph Evans	Murder & malicious wounding	54 years
1992	Commonwealth v. Thurman Taylor	Child rape & sodomy	60 years
1992	Commonwealth v. Charles Allen	Armed, nighttime burglary	32 years
1992	Commonwealth v. Alfred Newell	2nd degree murder	17 years
1991	Commonwealth v. David Cannon	Manslaughter	12 years
1990	Commonwealth v. Albert Shelton	Abduction & rape of a college student	life + 90 years
1990	Commonwealth v. Julius Fletcher	Aggravated sexual battery & child pornography	15 years
1990	Commonwealth v. Robert Taylor	Child sodomy	10 years
1989	Commonwealth v. Randy Tyrell	Distribution of cocaine	15 years
1989	Commonwealth v. Theodocio Cardenas	Distribution of cocaine Case transferred to feds. and resulted in establishment of regional drug task force and grand jury	13 years in a federal prison
1988	Commonwealth v. Larry Lazzazera	Distribution of cocaine	10 years

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