VIRGINIA BRIEFING

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

LOUDOUN COUNTY

8 Accused of Buying Teen Alcohol

Eight people were arrested in Sterling Park on Friday night and charged with buying alcohol for a teenager, authorities said yesterday. The 19-year-old was working undercover for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.

Over a six-hour period, the teenage volunteer asked people entering a convenience store to buy alcohol for her, the sheriff's office said.

"The public needs to know that . . . we are watching, and we are doing everything possible to protect the citizens of Loudoun County from alcohol related crimes," Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson (I) said in a statement. "These operations will continue until we have 100% compliance."

The Loudoun chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving assisted in the operation, which resulted in the arrests of seven others on narcotics and other charges.

-- Bill Brubaker

U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Man Arraigned in Terrorism Case

A former Florida professor who pleaded guilty to aiding a terrorist organization was arraigned yesterday in federal court in Alexandria on charges that he refused to testify before a grand jury investigating whether Islamic charities in Northern Virginia were financing terrorists.

Sami al-Arian, who taught computer science at the University of South Florida, smiled and mouthed greetings to about 10 supporters in the courtroom, including three of his five children.

In April, Arian finished serving a 57-month prison term for conspiracy. He was expected to be deported but has remained in detention while prosecutors in Alexandria seek his testimony.

Arian twice refused to testify before the grand jury in Alexandria, on Oct. 16, 2007, and on March 20, according to the indictment. His attorney, Jonathan Turley, said after yesterday's hearing that Arian never refused and was negotiating the terms of his cooperation when he was indicted.

His trial is to begin Aug. 13 in U.S. District Court.

-- Ben Hubbard

Swedish Man Sent to Prison

A 41-year-old Swedish man was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to 70 months in prison on charges that he traveled to the United States to have sex with a 14-year-old girl, officials said.

Jesper Lundberg of Jarfalla, Sweden, began a series of e-mail chats with an undercover Arlington County detective in April 2007, court documents show.

Over the next several months, in e-mail chats and recorded phone conversations, Lundberg expressed a desire to have sex with the detective's fictional underage daughter for $400, according to the documents.

On March 20, Lundberg flew to the United States and was arrested at an Arlington hotel, where he had arranged to meet the "father and daughter," court records showed.

-- Daniela Deane

VIRGINIA TECH

Aid Set for Low-Income Students

Virginia Tech is starting an academic scholarship for high school students from low-income families.

The Presidential Scholarship Initiative will cover tuition, fees and on-campus room and board for up to 50 low-income students from Virginia starting in fall 2009.

The competitive scholarship can be renewed annually for four years if a student maintains a 3.0 grade-point average.

School officials said the financial aid package is being funded by several university sources. It will give strong consideration to first-generation college students from traditionally underserved areas.

Once fully in place, up to 200 students will benefit from the program, which also will offer academic support and faculty mentoring.

-- Associated Press