I must correct a factual error in my last post. State time and fed time are NOT mandated to be served consecutively. I was under that impression most likely because in the Court I work in it will be...every time. Apologies for the mistake.
As to why...it's your ballyhooed federal government's job to prosecute interstate infractions, Gonz. It's the State's job to prosecute State infractions. The fact that he broke both is his own damn fault. It happens every day. Virginia is only prosecuting certain aspects of the mess, as are the feds. Had VA gone after him on Animal Cruelty charges, up to eight counts as I understand it, then each of those could have resulted in 5 years. Each. They didn't because those deeds are more or less covered in the federal indictment as I understand it.
Now for the real reason they're doing it. A large part of the investigative acts leading up to the fed charges were done (and paid for) by the State of Virginia. Their investigation was commandeered, if we recall, by the feds AFTER the way had been paved for them. This is Virginia's recourse to recoup the costs associated with those investigative activities. He may or may not get additional time to serve, but he'll damn sure get to foot the bill for not only the legal proceedings, where every staple, sheet of copier paper, and rubber stamp has a cost attached to it, but via the fines that will be levied he'll get to reimburse Virginia for the cost of the investigation. That, too, happens every day.
It's the ideal circumstance IMO. The feds take care of their business, and the State takes care of its business. If only...