Barletta Attended Raimondo & Mattiello Hosted Fundraiser - MA Co. Has Won $349M in RIDOT Contracts
GoLocalProv News Team
Barletta Attended Raimondo & Mattiello Hosted Fundraiser - MA Co. Has Won $349M in RIDOT Contracts
In December 2017, Vincent Barletta attended a Rhode Island Democratic party fundraiser co-hosted by Governor Gina Raimondo and Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello. The event was organized by political consultant Jeff Britt.
Britt was recently on trial on felony and misdemeanor charges relating to a 2016 Mattiello campaign mailer. The case is now before Judge Daniel Procaccini.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to three people who attended the event, Barletta attended the fundraiser with his wife. Each said the couple was hard to miss. Vincent Barletta is somewhere around 6’6” and his wife was repeatedly described to GoLocal as “striking.”
Barletta's company - Barletta Engineering and Heavy Machine - is tied to contaminated soil according to the RIDOT. The contaminated soil has had an adverse impact on abutting neighbors including the Carmona family who lives adjacent to where the contaminated soil has been piled. Presently, there areon going both state and federal investigations.
A coalition of fifteen groups in Providence called the “Fix the 6/10 Coalition” issued a statement last Friday on the contamination at the RIDOT 6/10 project site -- and are calling for it to be closed until a full environmental assessment can be conducted.
“We the Fix the 6/10 Coalition call on the Governor and RIDOT to immediately halt construction to assess the public health impacts of this hazardous material on our communities. We ask that our leaders prioritize the health and safety of our residents, above all else, in this and future highway projects,” said the 6/10 Coalition.
Barletta is barred from making political donations in Massachusetts. GoLocal is not aware that the Massachusetts prohibition has any impact on his political donations in other states, however.
In connection with these donations, Timothy Barletta filled out a campaign donation card that listed his employer as Barletta Engineering.
Barletta Attorneys Deny Tim Barletta Is Involved in Company -- But Federal and State Campaign Records Say Otherwise
Lawyers for the company, however, dispute that Timothy Barletta was employed by Barletta Engineering at the time. Attorneys for Barletta Engineering claim in a letter to GoLocal that there has been no association between Timothy Barletta and the company for some time.
“For over 10 years Tim Barletta has not had any involvement with the Barletta Companies as an executive, employee, owner, shareholder, board member, or officer. That Tim Barletta happens to be Vincent F. Barletta's brother is immaterial. [sic] GoLocal's assertions about Tim Barletta clearly were made to accuse The Barletta Companies of making political contributions to the Governor's political party in an effort to curry favor with the State of Rhode Island's awarding authorities. GoLocal omitted from its article, [sic] is the fact that 6/10 Constructors Joint Venture was awarded a contract on the '410 million 6/10 construction project' because its public bid price of 248 million was more than 82 million dollars less than the next low bidder, yielding substantial savings to the State of Rhode Island. To be clear, no person at The Barletta Companies ever requested Tim Barletta to make any political contributions in the State of Rhode Island, nor were such contributions in any way related to the award of this publicly bid project to the 6/10 Constructors Joint Venture."
According to those organizing the event, it event raised $26,000 in total, with the Barletta donations totaling $5,000, or nearly 20% of the total take.
Not only did Timothy Barletta list his employer as Barletta Engineer in connection with the donations to the Rhode Island Democratic Party in December 2017, but he also listed Barletta Engineering in another Rhode Island donation to a Democratic PAC, as well as on multiple federal campaign donations in the past few years.
For example, in filings with the Federal Election Campaign Commission, Timothy Barletta listed his employer as Barletta Engineering in donations to U.S. Congressman Dutch Rappersberger (D-MD).
According to FEC records, Timothy Barletta made two donations totaling $2,000 to Ruppersberger for Congress Committee. And, he made a $2,000 donation to U.S. Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD) in March of 2016, and again, listing Barletta Engineering as his employer.
GoLocal spoke to Richard Thornton of the state of Rhode Island’s Campaign Finance Division and asked if a Barletta attorney or the political committee or the PAC to which Timothy Barletta donated in 2017 had contacted the office about changing Barletta’s employment affiliation, and Thornton said no.
GoLocal has reached out to both Vincent Barletta and attorneys for the Barletta companies more than a half-dozen times for comment via email, phone, and social media relating to these inconsistencies with what was filed with state and federal election agencies and their accusations. They have not responded to any of the requests.
In just the past two-plus years, Barletta Engineering and Heavy Machine has won $349 million in contracts.
Vincent Barletta's firm — Barletta Engineering and Heavy Construction which is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts is the lead construction firm on many of Rhode Island’s highest-profile projects — not just the 6/10 improvement project, but also the reconstruction of the Henderson Bridge and the Pawtucket/Central Fall Train Station.
The total amount of RIDOT dollars traveling up 95 to the Barletta companies’ coffers are staggering.
Barletta is part of the 6-10 CONSTRUCTORS JOINT VENTURE and secured $247,630,000 for the 6/10 improvement project awarded in 2017; also in 2018 Barletta was awarded the Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Station and Bus Hub, which was $35,796,000. Earlier this year Barletta was awarded the Bridge Group 49 - Henderson Bridge project for $65,964,000 — bringing the total to $349,390,000.
Trade publication ENR reported in January of 2018, "A four-company design-build team has been awarded a $410 million contract to design and rebuild the Routes 6-10 Interchange in Providence, the Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation announced late last year. RIDOT awarded the project—the largest single contract in the agency’s history—on Dec. 21 to 6/10 Constructors, which comprises of Barletta Heavy Construction, O&G Industries, DW White Construction, and Aetna Bridge Co., the agency said in a statement. A project commencement ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 8."
In 2016, the Massachusetts campaign finance agency said that Vincent Barletta made or reimbursed improperly donations to 10 candidates including Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, former Gov. Deval Patrick, former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and former Weymouth Mayor Sue Kay.
As part of the agreement between Barletta and state officials, he was forced to pay a "civil forfeiture" payment of $185,000. In the 16-page agreement signed by Barletta, "Respondents First Fidelity Corp., Puma Corp. and Vincent Barletta, jointly and severally, shall make payments totaling $185,000 to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the nature of a civil forfeiture."
And the agreement stipulated further, "The Respondents agree not to make any contributions to influence Massachusetts elections for a period of five ( 5) years from the date of this Agreement. The Respondents agree not to fund any independent expenditures or electioneering communications for a period of five ( 5) years from the date of this Agreement. Vincent Barletta agrees not to solicit contributions for any Massachusetts candidate or candidate committee from any employee of Barletta Engineering or its related corporate entities for a period of five (5) years from the date of this Agreement."
Vincent Barletta has not made any donations in Rhode Island to date.