As a federal judge read out her criminal charges, Linda Natelle Brown said she understood them clearly.

She had no questions about the accusations of wire fraud, interstate wire fraud and making false statements. U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young took pains to avoid any confusion.

“Do you understand what the government is saying you did in this case?” Young asked from the stand. Brown said she did.

On Sept. 17, federal prosecutors accused Brown, 43, of stealing at least $1.5 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, a not-for-profit fundraising program for Virginia state employees. In a criminal complaint, prosecutors described how Brown’s company secured a contract to manage the not-for-profit’s financials in 2017, and then, several years later, began skimming money for herself.

Brown, the sole signatory on an account managed by the campaign, made at least 62 transfers from the campaign’s account to her contracting company, LNB Solutions.

“These funds consisted of charitable dollars donated by Commonwealth of Virginia employees for various charitable causes. Brown used some of these embezzled charitable funds for her own use, and some to pay LNB Solutions Inc.’s business expenses for which Brown was not entitled to reimbursement,” the complaint reads.

After Brown ended her contract with the state in 2023, she retained access to the not-for-profit’s bank account, allowing her to skim another $17,000 in charity donations made by staff members at Old Dominion University — prosecutors said the university had transferred the money to her by mistake.

The money funded Brown’s “luxury apartment in Houston,” designer clothing and shoes, and luxury hotels — as well as a fish pedicure treatment in Las Vegas and a $10,000 bill from a plastic surgeon in Virginia Beach.

In court on Tuesday, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. She contested no part of the government’s accusations, and even waived her right to require prosecutors to seek an indictment before a grand jury. Outside of the courtroom, her lawyer, Poorav Rohatgi, declined to comment on Brown’s behalf.

Young said she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison based on her plea, but it’s likely that Brown, who has no criminal record in Virginia and pleaded within weeks of being charged, will see a less severe sentence. However, the plea deal does not offer her immunity from state prosecution.

The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign first reached out to Brown with concerns in July 2024, asking her to return more than $600,000 in missing funds, according to the complaint. Brown promised the money was coming, stalled, and eventually sent around half of the total sum before cutting off communications with the campaign, prosecutors said.

The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign is managed by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. In 2024, the group routed at least $760,000 to charities on behalf of state employees. Language on the group’s website described the organization as the “annual charity drive of the employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

The campaign runs each year from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. For state employees, donations can be deducted from their taxes the following year. The nonprofit’s 2025 campaign began last week.

In a statement, Mecca Hall, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Resource Management, said the investigation was then turned over to the Office of the Inspector General, who later brought in law enforcement.

“DHRM has adopted the necessary controls and conducts monthly audits to ensure the integrity of the program. We appreciate the work of our state and federal law enforcement partners to hold Ms. Brown accountable for her crimes,” said Hall.

Young set a Feb. 17 sentencing date for Brown, who he has allowed to remain on pretrial supervision until that date, although law enforcement has seized her passport and barred her from opening any new lines of credit or bank accounts.

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/10/08/portsmouth-wire-fraud-gov-charity/