VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney is requesting that a special prosecutor investigate potential election laws and forgery violations pertaining to a petition for a congressional candidate.

WAVY’s Andy Fox reports the case involves names forged on the petition for Shaun Brown. The person whose name is attached to the petition of qualified voters is on the payroll of Rep. Scott Taylor. 

Colin Stolle has asked that Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Don Caldwell head up the investigation.

Taylor spoke with 10 On Your Side on Tuesday, saying he fired his campaign manager before he learned about inconsistencies on the petition for Brown.

Why would Scott Taylor’s campaign gather signatures to be on the ballot in November for one of his opponents? The answer could be Taylor is benefited by an independent candidate, who could help split the Democratic vote against him. That lays the groundwork for what has happened. 

Richard Cake died April 6, 2018, so it is really hard explaining how his signature ended up on a petition two months later on June 9 for Independent congressional candidate Shaun Brown.

Cake’s widow, Bet, told us she was devastated when she realized someone forged his signature.

Below his name is Doris Harris, who claims her name was forged too. 

10 On Your Side found her in her driveway and showed her the petition that had her name on it. We asked her whether she signed that petition, and whether that is her signature.

She answered, “it doesn’t look like my signature at all.”  Harris points to the forged name that reads Doris Harris. “I would never sign it that way. I never write my name first. I always sign my name with a D and then Harris.”

Below her name is Ann Kolantis.  10 On Your Side went to her house as well. 

“My first name is misspelled,” she said, and also said she spoke to an investigator before 10 On Your Side showed up at her house. 

The forged name on the petition has an “e” on the end of Ann. “I would sign it Ann with no ‘e’ on the end.”  10 On Your Side asked her if she thinks it is deceitful what happened, “It is very deceitful.”

10 On Your Side then went looking for the Congressman Scott Taylor’s staffer, who signed her name that she gathered and legally witnessed all the signatures on the petition.

No one was home, but we did find her boss, Scott Taylor, who said, “We learned about the inconsistencies with the signatures like everybody else did.  We were in Washington when this happened, so I don’t know anything about it. I think people need to cooperate with the special prosecutor, as will we.”

Also on the petition, Eileen Eady, who actually lives in Las Vegas.  She did not return our call.   

Taylor has already terminated his campaign manager, “We got rid of somebody, and we are still looking into everything, but there is someone on our campaign that, when I dig a little bit, there might be something more to it.”

To be fair, Congressman Taylor told 10 On Your Side he had actually terminated the campaign manager before the petition discrepancies came to light. 

A source also confirms there could be several names disqualified from Brown’s petition for candidacy.  10 On Your Side doesn’t know how, or if, that will impact her campaign to appear on the ballot. 

“I am already on the record that people were doing that (gathering signatures) and I am fine with it,” Taylor said.  “I think she (Shaun Brown) was disenfranchised twice by the Democratic party.  They tried to get her off the ballot in the first place, and that is why she ran as an Independent.  Now they are trying to get her off the ballot again.  I think that is a big problem.”