Former 6/10 Construction Project Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements

GoLocalProv News Team

Former 6/10 Construction Project Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements

Contaminated material dumped in Olneyville next two multiple homes. PHOTO: GoLocal
Dennis Ferreira, former superintendent of the 6/10 Interchange Construction Project, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court to three counts of making a false statement in connection with a federally funded highway project, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

GoLocal unveiled the dumping of the contaminated material in September 2020, which sparked both the federal and state investigations.

 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

SEE WHO THE PLAYERS ARE BELOW

 

Ferreira falsely represented the origin and environmental quality of railroad ballast (loose stone) and the origin of soil imported into the 6/10 Project.

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) officials deemed the material to be contaminated, after Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti repeatedly lied, claiming the material was clean.

Ferreira was a former employee of Barletta Heavy Division, Inc., the Massachusetts construction company, and the lead contractor on the project budgeted for more than $400 million.

For months Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha has been promising action. Piles of contaminated materials were stacked up to the second story of adjacent homes in the Olneyville neighborhood.  Two of the families have filed separate lawsuits against RIDOT. 

Ferreira, in his role for Barletta, was responsible for the construction of the Route 6/10 Interchange Project and he admitted to a federal judge that, in July 2020, he falsely reported to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) the origin of 93 truckloads of railroad ballast imported to the 6/10 Project from Massachusetts; 52 truckloads of dirt imported to the 6/10 Project from the Barletta Pawtucket/Central Falls Rail Station Project; and that he was responsible for a report submitted to RIDOT by Barletta stating that the stone imported from Massachusetts had been tested and met environmental criteria as required in a Soil and Materials Management Plan (SMMP) prepared by RIDOT. In fact, the stone had not been tested and did not meet the environmental criteria.

In October, United States Attorney Cunha announced the resolution of federal criminal and civil investigations into Barletta and Ferreira.  The resolutions included Ferreira’s agreement to plead guilty; a civil resolution that will recover from Barletta more than twice the amount paid by the government as a result of the conduct; and a non-prosecution agreement with the construction firm.

Vincent Barletta, President of the construction company, was not charges nor were any officers. PHOTO: GoLocal
Barletta, the company, was forced to pay $1.5 million as part of settlements. No officers of the company were charged or penalized.

Federal investigations into contracting and procurement on portions of the federally-funded 6/10 Project centered on false statements by Ferreira and the company, as well as billing submissions made to the federal government for the stone and dirt. This fill, which was required to either be used at its original location, or subjected to additional testing and handling, did not meet the requirements of the contract.

Ferreira is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16, 2023. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

 

More About Case

The United States has separately entered into a Non-Prosecution Agreement with Barletta in connection with the false statements that were made to the Federal Highway Administration and RIDOT.  These statements were meant to conceal the fact that Barletta had imported regulated material in violation of the SMMP, which was part of the contract governing the 6/10 Project.  Under the Agreement, Barletta accepts responsibility for the actions of its employees and admits to the facts that constitute making false statements in connection with a federally funded highway project. 

In addition to paying a $500,000 criminal fine, the agreement requires Barletta to implement ongoing monitoring, reporting, and compliance measures for a period of three years; failure to comply with these conditions will make the company subject to prosecution for the conduct set forth in an agreed-upon Statement of Facts. 

RI Attorney General Peter Neronha has been promising action for months. PHOTO: GoLocal
James White, the president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, filed a whistleblower suit which became the bases for the government's False Claim Act suit.

Barletta has entered into a False Claims Act settlement that resolves allegations that the company knowingly submitted claims for payment for work on the project in connection with the movement of dirt that did not comply with contract requirements, in violation of the federal and Rhode Island state False Claims Acts.  Barletta will pay $1,000,000 to the government, representing more than twice the government funds paid as a result of the relevant claims.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dulce Donovan and Bethany Wong are handling the prosecution and litigation of these matters. 

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Law Enforcement.

This story was first published 12/14/22 5:10 PM


Who Are The Players -- Contamination at $410 Million 6/10 Project

429 Too Many Requests

429 Too Many Requests


openresty

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.