Lavish spending detailed in report

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A report filed by former Delegate Robert Mathieson of Virginia Beach details a series of unauthorized expenditures made by his former legislative aide, 26-year-old Jason Wesley Robinson.

Finance reports posted on Virginia Public Access Project's website show more than $50,000 in campaign funds were lavishly spent on clothes, alcohol, entertainment and food. The illegal spending spree lasted from January 2008 through September 2009.

Robinson was sentenced in June to three years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling money from Mathieson and eluding police. This was not the first time Robinson was caught embezzling. He was convicted of embezzlement in Chesapeake in 2004; something Mathieson said he wasn't aware of prior to hiring him.

According to the finance reports, Robinson made several transactions daily with campaign money. Among them, 59 transactions at Catch 31 in Virginia Beach. Robinson managed to rack up $660 in just one visit to the restaurant, according to the report. In all, Robinson spent $10,601 at the popular Oceanfront restaurant.

The report also details unauthorized spending on everyday things such as gas, cigarettes and food. Most transactions were made at 7-Eleven stores.

Robinson also frequented Virginia Beach Town Center restaurants on the campaign dime. Several transactions were made at Bravo Cucina Italiana -- where he dropped $6,952 in the nearly two years he worked for Mathieson. He also frequented the Town Center City Club and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.

The report also lists several transactions to the Va. Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control totaling $905.

Additional unauthorized transactions were made at Dick's Sporting Goods, Brooks Brother's Clothing, Dillards and Sunglasses Hut.

SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS MADE BY ROBINSON BY CLICKING HERE.

Account discrepancies were noticed when Mathieson went to the bank and found there was less in the account than office records showed. Robinson admitted to taking the money and was soon charged.

On November 24, 2009, a state trooper went to serve Robinson with the capias, but Robinson fled in a vehicle. For this, he was also charged with eluding a police officer.

Robinson was ordered to serve three years in prison and to pay $50,172 in restitution to Mathieson.

Mathieson's re-election campaign raised more than $743,000. He lost to Republican Ron Villanueva by 16 votes.