Former GOP Virginia lawmaker Matt Fariss pleads guilty to felony gun and drug charges

Associated Press/Report for America

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia lawmaker has pleaded guilty to felony gun and drug charges and been sentenced to time already served in jail. Former Del. Matt Fariss pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony meth and firearm possession. A judge sentenced Fariss in Campbell Circuit Court to three years in prison and suspended all but 20 days. Fariss served in the House of Delegates as a Republican since 2012 before running unsuccessfully last year as an independent. Fariss has also lost the right to hold statewide public office in Virginia or own and possess firearms as part of his sentence.