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A Democratic prosecutor backed by George Soros faces a recall effort after an angel mom urged voters in her county to remove him from office “before another family pays the price.”
Earlier this year, Stephanie Minter, 41, was stabbed and killed at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia. An illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone, Abdul Jalloh, is accused of killing her. Jalloh had a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for malicious wounding, identity theft, trespassing and assault. He also had a prior charge of forcible rape.
The case comes as violent and sexual crime has increased in Fairfax County and has renewed scrutiny of Democratic Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano. Descano won office with significant financial backing from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC. So far, the recall effort led by the victim’s mother, Cheryl Minter, has collected more than 12,000 signatures.
In an interview with Digital, Minter said she is calling for Descano to be removed from office because she believes “had they actually prosecuted these people, then Stephanie would still be alive.”
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Virginia angel mom Cheryl Minter, left, whose daughter, Stephanie, was stabbed and killed in an attack prosecutors have charged an illegal immigrant with committing, is leading an effort to recall Fairfax County Democratic Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, right. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Under Virginia law, organizers must gather valid signatures from registered voters equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last election, file a detailed petition alleging specific legal grounds and prove those grounds in circuit court before a judge can remove the prosecutor.
In her petition, Minter pointed to Jalloh’s more than 30 arrests and criminal charges and said that “again and again, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano let him walk.”
Jalloh had been arrested more than 30 times and faced dozens of charges before Minter’s killing; some cases were dropped, while others resulted in convictions and jail time.
“Thirty times the system had a chance to stop him. Thirty times,” she said, adding, “I think about that every single day. This was not an unavoidable tragedy. It was the predictable consequence of decisions made by Descano.”
Speaking with Digital, Minter explained, “Stephanie was my world. She was my only daughter. She was so much to me.”
Minter said her grief motivated her to take action. She said her daughter’s killing opened her eyes to what she sees as a broader problem, saying Stephanie’s death is “not an isolated failure.” She believes Descano’s prosecutorial leadership is a common thread in the stories of many victims in Fairfax County. While she lost her daughter, she said it is not too late to protect other families in the county.
In response, Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for Descano’s office, told Digital, “our office is prosecuting Abdul Jalloh for the murder of Ms. Minter.”
Birnbaum noted that Jalloh was “indicted last week and his trial is set for January 2027.” She said the office is “unable to comment further on an ongoing prosecution.”
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Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano speaks at an event in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Fairfax County Police Department; provided)
Beyond Fairfax County, Minter said she has learned of “so many sanctuary states that seem to be leaning toward the same thing and releasing [criminals].” She said she hopes the Descano recall effort will send a broader message to all sanctuary and soft-on-crime politicians across the country.
“This isn’t just localized,” she said of the recall effort. “It’s important for so many states and so many cities.”
She called for “simple solutions” to the problem of repeat criminals across the U.S.
“Either [the criminal] does his time, or he gets out of here, and he doesn’t come back,” she said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
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Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano is seen speaking at an event in Fairfax County, Virginia. (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)
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Ultimately, Minter said that what motivates her to keep going is the memory of the daughter she lost.
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“Her heart would want this to happen,” she said. “If it happened to one of her friends or somebody she knew or even didn’t … That keeps me going enough to keep pushing forward.”
