Anderson takes reins as Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney

By Audrey Carpenter

On the eve before his swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 4 at the old Leesburg Courthouse, Bob Anderson talked with the Blue Ridge Leader about his excitement and the seriousness with which he undertakes the role of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County for a second time.

Anderson, a 75-year-old Purcellville resident, formerly held the office from 1996 to 2003. He has been the managing partner with the Law Office of Robert D. Anderson PLLC, specializing in criminal law since 1978. His legal office is located one block from the courthouse where he will now lead again as the Commonwealth’s Attorney after leaving the office 20 years ago. 

As Anderson says, 20 years has changed the landscape quite a bit. The population of Loudoun County has doubled in that time, which means more cases to prosecute. Anderson will oversee a 63-member staff with 33 assistant prosecutors and a seven-person victim/witness advocacy program. The Office’s budget is $7.5 million.

He said two other factors that are relatively new since he was last in office, but which he plans to address within the first 60 days in his new role, are the increase in fentanyl and human trafficking. “I will be asking the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to fund three investigator positions so those investigators can work with task forces to investigate and aid prosecutors in preparing for successful felony trials,” he said. 

During his former time in office, he said he hired an investigator that was able to revive the cold case of Melvin Irving Shifflett, a serial killer who killed a woman and dumped her body near Leesburg in 1978. He was able to get a life sentence in the Shifflett case. 

“I hired Gary Clemens as that investigator,” Anderson said. Clemens would go on to become Clerk of the Circuit Court in Loudoun County, a position he has held for 24 years. It is Clemens who will swear-in Anderson at the courthouse ceremony.

Finding the right fit

Anderson has already been interviewing candidates. Although he could not comment on personnel issues, he said he has met with a number of candidates that could align and be comfortable with the way he wants to run the Commonwealth’s Attorney office. 

Anderson, a Republican, brings a quite different view of how to run the office from his predecessor, Democrat Buta Biberaj, who lost by a slim 300 vote margin to Anderson in the November election. Anderson’s fundamental philosophy is to fairly prosecute as many cases as possible that come into his office. 

This is a major difference from the prior administration which openly praised keeping the number of defendants sent to jail low, dismissing a number of cases, and being the champion for what was seen as the disadvantaged and maligned within the criminal justice system. 

According to statistics kept by Loudoun County’s Circuit Court, criminal indictments in Loudoun County decreased dramatically by 67% after Biberaj was elected. In 2019, there were 681 indictments compared to 225 in 2021.

On the contrary, Anderson believes in the practice of holding criminals accountable no matter the crime, regardless of political or public pressure or ideology. He is an avid supporter of law enforcement and said his office must have good relationships and trust with nine different law enforcement agencies that it works with.

“The bulk of our cases come from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, followed by the Leesburg Police Department, the State Police, the Metropolitan Police and several smaller town police departments across Loudoun,” Anderson said. He said transparency, trust and open communication with law enforcement and the public is vital to the success of his office.

Mentoring staff

One area he said he has been talking to many people about is the need for mentoring to take place with younger attorneys. “They should be paired with experienced prosecutors and be a second chair on trials,” he said, “not just trying low level cases.” 

He said professional growth of his staff and high morale are major goals,  and for his employees to love what they do and come in with eagerness each day ready to do their job with a sense of pride and happiness.

Even during his campaign, Anderson stressed high morale as imperative to a successful, high functioning office and pointed to Loudoun County Human Resources Office data which showed an 84% turnover rate under his predecessor. He finds that number unacceptable.

He said he is proud that during his first time in office four assistant attorneys went onto higher offices. Jennifer Wexton became a U.S. Congresswoman and three others became judges. Anderson believes the right mix of encouragement and hands-on training will give his staff the experience they need to follow similar career paths.

Jumping right in

Anderson said he will be jumping right in and wasting no time after he is sworn in. The major upcoming trial of Peter James Lollobrigido, who is charged with beating his wife, Regina Elizabeth Redman-Lollobrigido, to death with a hammer in September 2021 is set to stand trial Jan. 29.

Lollobrigido is accused of badly beating his wife in July 2021. After the assault, Lollobrigido was not kept in jail after his arrest. Rather than hold him without bond, Loudoun Juvenile & Domestic Court Judge Avelina S. Jacob released Lollobrigido on bond with an ankle monitor. 

He then went on to allegedly kill his wife two months later.

Anderson said prosecutors should have sought to hold Lollobrigido without bond given the serious injuries Redman-Lollobrigido suffered and a standing protective order. The highly publicized case brought shame on the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office as one of many instances where serious felony cases were not prosecuted equal to the seriousness of the crime.

Anderson also said not choosing to not prosecute non-violent crimes affects the quality of life in Loudoun. He said his office will seek more indictments for low-level drug offenses, DWI and driving violations, and property crimes. 

If those charged with crimes like petty larceny aren’t indicted, they’re more likely to become repeat offenders. He states that shoplifting has become a serious threat for retailers, many of whom have taken matters into their own hands by confronting shoplifters or reducing the number of entrance and exit access points.

Anderson is confident his approach to criminal justice reform will be a welcome change from the last four years and will inject the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney with a new level of integrity.