Loudoun Official Tried To Capitalize On Contacts

In 2006, Mitchel purchased two Yamaha watercraft from Tulloch for $1,900, roughly at or below market value but almost ten times what Tulloch reported paying when he bought them used from a friend two years earlier, according to state records.

When he was working to open a Harley-Davidson dealership in Loudoun, Tulloch, then a supervisor, sought advice from Mitchel about land for the venture. Mitchel attended a dinner meeting on the project, Tulloch said. Tulloch hosted the gathering with potential investors at a Lansdowne restaurant.

"He asked me to look for land, and that was it," Mitchel said, adding that he "gave him leads on land" and directed him to a parcel near Dulles but did not invest in the project. Mitchel has since declined repeated requests to be interviewed.

Tulloch said in the December interview that his ties to Mitchel present no conflict.

In February, after news of the FBI probe, Loudoun supervisors strengthened policies governing disclosure of their meetings with developers who have pending projects. Tulloch announced that he had known Mitchel for 15 years. Weeks later, Tulloch joined a majority of the board in voting against a plan for Mitchel's latest housing project, saying he was following constituents' wishes.

A Home in Common

Also involved in the Harley-Davidson discussions was Leesburg lawyer Douglas L. Fleming Jr., whose clients have benefited from Tulloch's public decisions.

Fleming was part of a network of real-estate figures who helped guide Tulloch to victory in November 2003. Tulloch has described Fleming as a "brother."

In April 2003, Fleming bought a $505,600 house in Surfside Beach, records show. Tulloch reported in his latest financial disclosure that he owns "43.75" percent of the home and earned rental income from it. Fleming is the only owner listed on the deed.

Fleming, who is a substitute judge in Loudoun's General District Court, has declined to answer questions.

During 2004 and 2005, Tulloch cast votes four times in favor of Inova Loudoun Hospital. The hospital and a citizens group, both opposed to a planned competitor, hired Fleming for legal advice, records show.

Fleming also represented the Islamic Saudi Academy Inc. in a zoning matter before the county in 2003, the year before Tulloch pushed the county to purchase a large parcel from the Saudis.

The home Tulloch reports owning with Fleming is now on the market, along with a Surfside Beach home that Tulloch purchased in 2002. An Internet ad for that house reads "Looking To Sell Fast!!"

Tulloch and his wife filed for personal bankruptcy in the early 1990s. In the past four years, Tulloch has made major purchases, including a sport-utility vehicle and a yacht, records and interviews show. The yacht and another SUV have been on the market in recent months.

Tulloch said this spring that his finances are a personal matter but added that they are "more than in check."

Staff researchers Julie Tate and Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.