Glenn Youngkin, on his final full day as governor, appeared to try to rush the sale of the former Augusta Correctional Center property to a mysterious New York City-registered LLC, for reasons unknown, but it’s not hard for us to put two and two together, now that we know the Trump regime is eyeing the property as a site for a new ICE detention facility.
In a Jan. 16 memo, Youngkin directed the Department of General Services “to proceed with the selection of Moxie Asset Group’s offer and to take all necessary steps to complete the transaction in a manner consistent with the requirements of Chapter 127 and the Commonwealth’s fiduciary obligation to maximize value while minimizing risk.”
“Please coordinate with the Office of the Attorney General as appropriate to ensure timely execution,” that Youngkin memo concluded.
Diving into this, first: what we know about Moxie Asset Group LLC.
Not much.
The LLC was registered in the State of New York on Oct. 1, 2024, and lists a 1633 Broadway, 46th Floor, address in Midtown Manhattan, which is also home to a number of real-estate management, investment and law firms.
One other thing about that 1633 Broadway, 46th Floor, address: it’s a 15-minute walk from the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, in the shadow of Central Park.
Probably just a coincidence there, right?
Next dive: the “Chapter 127” referenced in the Youngkin memo harkens back to Senate Bill 691, legislation introduced by MAGA State Sen. Mark Obenshain that provides for the transfer of “certain property” in Augusta County from the Department of Corrections to the Town of Craigsville.
Per that legislation, which was signed into law by Youngkin in 2024, Craigsville was to get the “water tank and related facilities,” and related easements and rights of way; otherwise, the state was authorized to sell the property, with proceeds to go to the state’s general fund.
The offer from Moxie Asset Group, per the Youngkin memo, was $3.25 million, which Youngkin termed, in the memo, “the best outcome for the Commonwealth.”
Next: the memo didn’t relay any details related to plans from Moxie Asset Group LLC for the property.
We do know, from information made public on Thursday by the ACLU, that, as we noted in the lede, the Trump regime has identified the former Augusta Correctional Center property as a possible site for a future ICE detention facility.
ICYMI
It’s unclear if there is any nexus here, but it’s not hard to conjecture that there could be, given that Youngkin issued a memo directing a state agency to speed up the sale of the former prison to a mysterious New York City-based LLC literally on his way out the door.
WVTF-Virginia’s Public Radio reported Thursday that Abigail Spanberger issued a memo this week directing the Department of General Services to restart the review process related to the Augusta Correctional Center property, effectively reopening the process to consider possible new buyers.
We’ve reached out to the Spanberger press team to learn more about the next steps.
WVTF reported that it had asked the governor’s press office if Spanberger would approve the sale of the property to a buyer with plans to turn it into an ICE facility.
The answer, per WVTF: no comment.
That one seems like an easy one to offer a comment on, no?