At the time, the city released a cryptic note about the cancellation, citing safety concerns. The next day, Telfair said that racial slurs and threats of physical violence against some members of the council and the administration prompted the cancellation.

Court documents allege that Telfair concocted the entire episode.

“Telfair stated he made the telephone call to himself that was reported to Petersburg Bureau of Police as a threatening phone call,” according to a police narrative in the court file of a Jan. 30 interview of Telfair by Virginia State Police special agents. “Mr. Telfair also stated that he made the telephone call to preserve the institution of the city.”

“While city attorney, he endured a lot of stress because the City Council members were at each other’s throats,” Telfair told investigators, according to the court file. “He was being blamed for the problem with finances even though he had nothing to do with the money and the mayor was not a leader. No person should have to go through what he went through.”

Thomas Johnson, Telfair’s attorney, stressed in a written statement that the information contained in the court documents are “only allegations” and does not include any response from his client or other exculpatory evidence.