The Checks and Balances Project

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has filed a complaint against the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad and Sussex County Supervisor Steve White with the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general.

The complaint cites alleged potential fraud involving billing for ambulance calls conducted by the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) and the lack of transparency in the squad’s finances.

C&BP has reported that SCVRS lost its federal nonprofit status in 2023 for failing to file tax returns for three straight years. C&BP also reported that in the five years for which tax returns are available – 2015 through 2019 – SCVRS reported a $304,000 surplus.

Minutes from county supervisors’ meetings show that then-Fire Chief Nick Sheffield questioned the squad’s finances, saying it was impossible to determine where the squad’s money went. In September 2025, White engineered the defunding of the positions of Sheffield and his deputy, Chris Bailey.

The next month, records show, the county signed a memorandum of understanding with SCVRS to pay the squad $422,250 for ambulance services for the next year.

Apparent violations

White has engaged in an apparent violation of Virginia’s conflict-of-interest law for elected officials by voting to direct taxpayer funds to the rescue squad.

White is also in apparent violation of Virginia law by serving as Sussex County’s acting administrator after he pushed the firing of County Administrator Richard Douglas in April.

C&BP has filed complaints with the FBI, Virginia state police, Sussex Commonwealth Attorney, Virginia attorney general and the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. It has offered to brief each of these agencies, with no word back yet from Sussex Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes.

Funding for emergency medical services has been a consistent issue in Sussex County for the last three years. Supervisors voted on Thursday to approve the construction of a 500MW solar farm that will generate an estimated $4 million a year in taxes, which is twice what the county spends on EMS services.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) seeks all emails and other communications in which Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White used his state employee email for county business.

Multiple sources show White uses his state of Virginia email address for his county job, but the agency he works for won’t say where he works or whether he’s on a leave.

Since April, White has served as the acting county administrator for Sussex County, after he engineered the firing of former administrator Richard Douglas during a surprise move in the supervisors’ monthly meeting.

White’s service as acting county administrator is in apparent violation of Virginia law that says elected officials can’t serve in county jobs.

C&BP has filed requests with the FBI, Virginia Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Sussex County sheriff, and the Sussex County commonwealth attorney seeking an investigation into White’s conduct.

Multiple sources say White is routinely at the county administration building, known to locals as the Blue Box, for hours a day. If White is working there, how can he be at his regular job, as a Trades Manager II for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)?

The salary for that job, which is classified in salary band 6, ranges between $75,423 and $189,075, Virginia records show.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) filed a complaint with the FBI’s Richmond field office seeking an investigation into Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White and the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS).

The complaint cites 10 issues of concerns about White’s apparent corruption in office, including his conflicts of interest in voting to send taxpayer money to SCVRS, which he runs, and potential Medicare and Medicaid billing fraud tied to SCVRS.

C&BP has reported that White is serving as acting county administrator in apparent violation of Virginia law after he engineered the firing of County Administrator Richard Douglas in April.

C&BP also obtained a memorandum of understanding between the county and SCVRS that pays the rescue squad $422,250 a year for emergency medical services. That’s more than twice the amount of money SCVRS made in 2019, when it filed its most recent tax returns with the IRS.

The IRS stripped SCVRS of its nonprofit status in 2023 because it failed to file tax returns for three straight years. It regained its status in January 2025 but continued to solicit donations during the 18 months it had no nonprofit status.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Two weeks after eliminating the funding for the county’s fire chief and his deputy, Sussex County supervisors voted to give an annual payment of $422,250 to the volunteer rescue squad run by Board Chairman Steve White, according to a memorandum of understanding obtained by Checks & Balances Project (C&BP).

The $422,250 is more than twice the annual revenue for the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) in the years leading up to 2019, which is the last year the squad filed its tax returns with the IRS.

SCVRS lost its federal nonprofit status in 2023, because it failed to file tax returns for three straight years. It regained its nonprofit status in January 2025, but there are no more recent publicly available tax returns after 2019.

The squad’s revenues also include donations, billings to Medicare and Medicaid and other payments from the county. The $422,250 in county funding far outstrips SCVRS revenues in previous years. Consider:

• In 2015, annual revenues were $154,771;
• in 2016, $78,426;
• in 2017, $124,837;
• in 2018, they were $186,911.

C&BP obtained the memorandum of understanding through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Too many questions

The funding for Fire Chief Nick Sheffield’s job was removed during a special retreat in September 2025 after he questioned SCVRS’ finances during supervisors’ meetings. Sheffield also said that SCVRS had not filed its tax returns.

Sheffield said, “There’s a net profit to that and nobody knows what the net profit is,” though it is unclear if Sheffield was referring to Stony Creek’s profits of those of other county rescue squads.

By voting for the MOU, it appears that White may have had a direct conflict of interest that could be illegal under state law (Va. Code § 2.2-3112).

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Sussex County supervisors said they cut the funding for the county’s fire chief and deputy fire chief because they lacked the money to pay for increased fire and emergency medical service in the rural county.

That, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told Checks & Balances Project (C&BP), included contracting with the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) run by Sussex Board Chairman Steve White despite concerns raised by the lack of information about SCVRS’ finances.

But Sussex supervisors are currently reviewing proposals that could drastically increase their annual EMS revenues and pay for the services they lack like a professionalized EMS service, which could reduce response times, county records show.

A proposed data center in Sussex County could be one of largest sources of local government revenue in the county’s history. According to an economic impact study prepared by Mangum Economics for the project:

The proposed data center would generate approximately $81.5 million annually in new Sussex County tax revenue once fully built in 2036, including $80.5 million in direct property taxes.

Total private investment is estimated at $17 billion ($5 billion in buildings and infrastructure plus about $12 billion in servers and other equipment installed by the eventual operator). 

The proposed Blackwater solar project would contribute $170 million in local taxes over the 35-year life on the project, developers say. It would provide enough electricity to power 85,000 homes or the proposed data center.

Broken down annually, the solar project alone would contribute approximately $4.9 million to the county budget each year, which would be more than twice the annual amount Sussex County spends on emergency medical services, according to the county’s 2025-26 budget.

County supervisors will meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 16 to discuss economic development opportunities and other business. 

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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The post Two proposed projects could help Sussex pay bills, boost EMS appeared first on Checks and Balances Project.

Checks & Balances Project’s (C&BP) offers to brief state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, Sussex County Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes and Sussex County Attorney Danielle Powell on the apparent corruption in Sussex County government have gone unanswered.

In the last three weeks, C&BP has revealed that the county has no policy governing when elected officials should recuse themselves, the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS) run by Board Chairman Steve White lost its nonprofit status and that White routinely votes to send taxpayer money to SCVRS.

C&BP has also shown that White forced the departures of Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and Deputy Fire Chief Chris Bailey after both raised questions about SCVRS and its relationship to the county. White led the supervisors to remove the funding for Sheffield and Bailey’s positions in a September 2025 special retreat.

Despite these issues, Aird, Sykes and Powell have not responded to offers to learn more about the corruption wracking Sussex County.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all records, texts, and other communications related to Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White assuming the role of acting county administrator after he apparently engineered the firing of then-County Administrator Richard Douglas.

According to another supervisor, Douglas’ firing was engineered by White after a surprise closed session during the April 16 board of supervisors meeting, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told C&BP.

By serving as acting county administrator, White is in apparent violation of Virginia law that prohibits elected officials from serving in administrative jobs. And, county administrator positions are typically full-time. White has been employed full-time with the state of Virginia’s Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services.

This apparent violation of state law is in C&BP complaints filed with Sussex County Commonwealth Attorney Regina Sykes, Sheriff Ernest Giles Sr., the Virginia State Police and Attorney General Jay Jones.

C&BP has filed four Freedom of Information Act requests for the county’s recusal policy, whether any supervisors have recused themselves in the last 25 years, and any records related to Douglas’ firing.

The county has not provided any records sought in those requests as of July 10. An AI-assisted online search suggests that County has no such policy, undercutting the rationale for a delay in providing the policy.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White proposed firing then-County Administrator Richard Douglas in a surprise closed session during the April 16 board meeting, Supervisor Thomas Baicy told Checks & Balances Project (C&BP).

The move surprised Baicy and others, because the issue wasn’t included on the agenda for the meeting.

Baicy’s comments came in response to a C&BP Freedom of Information Act request for all communications and documents related to Douglas’ dismissal.

In an email to C&BP, Baicy stated:

“To my knowledge, I do not have anything to share per Douglas firing and Conmy leaving since the topic was not disclosed to me until we went into closed session and the removal of Douglas was brought up by Chair White. [Deputy County Administrator David] Conmy said if Richard is gone, he was leaving within a couple weeks of same.”

After the supervisors left their closed session, Baicy said, “that is when the removal of Douglas occurred and Conmy advised he was leaving as well. Closed session we went closed to discuss personnel…..”

Supervisors C. Eric Fly, Alfred Futrell, Phyllis Tolliver, Rufus Tyler and White voted to fire Douglas, while Baicy and Supervisor Wayne Jones voted no.

White then assumed the full-time role of acting county administrator, despite having a full-time job with the state of Virginia.

Douglas’ firing came seven months after the board eliminated the funding for the jobs of Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and his deputy, Chris Bailey, in a September 2025 meeting. According to sources familiar with the matter, Douglas had resisted calls to fire Sheffield after Sheffield raised questions about the finances of the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS), which White runs.

County has failed to supply documents

C&BP has also filed FOIA requests seeking the county’s recusal policy for elected officials, the number of times officials have recused themselves in the last 25 years and for all records related to the county’s EMS services and SCVRS.

As of July 10, the county has not provided any of the records, despite an AI-assisted online search suggesting that no such policy exists. State law makes it illegal for county commissioners to vote on matters that affect their self-interest.

C&BP reported on June 30 that the IRS suspended SCVRS’ nonprofit status in 2023 because it had failed to file tax returns for three years. The nonprofit status was restored in 2025, but the latest publicly available SCVRS tax return is from 2019.

SCVRS reported a $304,000 surplus in the five years of tax returns from 2015 to 2019 that are on the IRS website.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Sussex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve White proposed and voted for a county ordinance that gave him and his wife Carolyn a tax break for using their personal vehicles as part of their work on the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad.

The agenda for the board’s Sept. 18, 2025, meeting contained this ordinance:

“AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 28: TAXATION, TO ADD SECTION 28-64

“VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND RESCUE SQUAD PERSONNEL” WHICH

PROVIDES FOR THE SPECIAL CLASSIFICATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR

VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY MEDICAL

SERVICES.”

The proposed ordinance said: “One motor vehicle that is owned by each volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member, or leased by each volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member if the member is obligated by the terms of the lease to pay tangible personal property tax on the motor vehicle, is classified under this section, provided the volunteer rescue squad member or volunteer fire department member regularly responds to emergency calls.”

Virginia automobile owners pay an annual personal property tax on their vehicles’ assessed value. The proposal passed with a 6-0 vote, and Supervisor Thomas Baicy was absent.

The details of that was previously unknown, because the minutes of the meeting were not posted on the county’s website. C&BP obtained the minutes on Friday through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Several tipsters have told us that Steve and Carolyn White, who run the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad, allegedly use their vehicles to respond to calls from the public. We should note that this information is currently unverified, and we are working to confirm its accuracy.

Steve White drives a BMW 740 sedan, while Carolyn White drives an SUV.

The mysterious “retreat”

The Sept. 18, 2025, meeting has been called a “retreat.”

During that meeting, supervisors voted to defund the jobs of then-Fire Chief Nick Sheffield and his deputy, Chris Bailey. Sheffield had asked pointed questions about Stony Creek’s finances in previous meetings.

Neither the agenda nor the minutes from that meeting are posted on the county’s website.

Conflicts of interest

Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) has reported that White has voted on matters involving SCVRS multiple times and not recused himself. SCVRS lost its federal nonprofit status in 2023 after failing to file income tax returns for three years.

White also runs a Virginia nonstock corporation called the Stony Creek Rescue Squad, which is registered at White’s home address in Yale, Va. The relationship between the two entities remains unclear, as White and his fellow supervisors have declined to answer questions.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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Checks & Balances Project (C&BP) filed a Freedom of Information Act with Sussex County, Virginia, seeking all communications and records related to the April firing of County Administrator Richard Douglas.

In a motion by Supervisor Alfred Futrell, Douglas was fired April 16 in a surprise vote by county supervisors.

His removal followed months of dissatisfaction over county finances and disputes over the county emergency medical services (EMS) contracts.

Douglas was replaced by Board Chair Steve White, who assumed the job of acting county administrator. C&BP has filed a complaint with Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones seeking an investigation into whether White is violating state law by service as a county official and an elected supervisor. C&BP has asked White if he is drawing a salary for acting as county administrator.

White is a also a Virginia state employee, working for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.

Potential conflicts of interest

C&BP has also filed FOIA requests seeking the county’s recusal policy for elected officials, the number of times officials have recused themselves in the last 25 years and for all records related to the county’s EMS services and the Stony Creek Volunteer Rescue Squad (SCVRS), which White chairs.

As of July 9, the county has not provided any of the records.

C&BP reported on June 30 that the IRS suspected SCVRS’ nonprofit status in 2023 because it had failed to file tax returns for three years. The nonprofit status was restored in 2025, but the latest publicly available SCVRS tax return is from 2019.

SCVRS reported a $304,000 surplus in the five years of tax returns from 2015 to 2019 that are on the IRS website.

Questions about finances

The murkiness around SCVRS’s finances was noted in the record of an April 17, 2025, board meeting. According to publicly available minutes from the board meetings:

Then-Sussex County Fire Chief Nick Sheffield told supervisors that Stony Creek and the nearby Waverly rescue squad each bills for its services.

Sheffield said, “Each of the rescue squads operate off of that money.”

Sheffield also said, “There’s a net profit to that and nobody knows what the net profit is,” though it is unclear if Sheffield was referring to Stony Creek’s profits of those of other County rescue squad.

There is no record from that time showing anyone at the supervisors’ meeting knew that Stony Creek had lost its tax status two years earlier because it had not filed its taxes for several years.

Six months later, Sheffield left his job after supervisors voted in a Sept. 18, 2025, meeting to eliminate funding for his job. He now works in North Carolina.

Ray Locker is the executive director for Checks & Balances Project, an investigative watchdog blog holding government officials, lobbyists, and corporate management accountable to the public. Funding for C&BP is provided by Renew American Prosperity and individual donors.

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