Virginia AG authorizes probe of statue-removal contract by The Associated Press Last Updated Jan 15, 2021 at 6:26 pm EDT RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s attorney general has authorized an investigation into efforts by Richmond officials to take down the city’s Confederate monuments last year, including a $1.8 million contract that was given for the statues to be removed, a special prosecutor said Friday. The statues were taken down over the summer, and an inquiry into the contract between the city and a Richmond-area construction company owner was initiated after a political rival of Mayor Levar Stoney’s raised concerns about the deal. A Richmond Circuit Court Judge assigned Augusta County Commonwealth’s Attorney Timothy Martin last summer to investigate the removals, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.