Former RI Rep-Elect Sentenced in Court After Pleading to Embezzlement & Campaign Finance Charges

Former RI Rep-Elect Sentenced in Court After Pleading to Embezzlement & Campaign Finance Charges

Former state representative-elect Laufton Ascencao was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court after pleading to felony embezzlement and campaign finance charges stemming from actions undertaken during his campaign for state representative of House District 68 in 2018.

Ascencao pleaded nolo contendere to one count of felony embezzlement, three counts of failure to report campaign expenditures, and one count of failure to have a duly appointed treasurer certify the accuracy of his campaign finance reports.

At a hearing Wednesday before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, the court gave Ascencao a five-year suspended sentence with probation and ordered restitution of $13,387.70 to the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club. The court also imposed a $1,000 fine.

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About Case
 
In 2019, the Rhode Island Board of Elections, following an initial review, referred Ascencao’s case to the Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police for criminal investigation.

In 2018, Ascencao, without authorization, diverted $16,379 from the checking account of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club while he was serving as treasurer of that organization. Ascencao used the money to pay for expenses during his 2018 campaign for state representative of House District 68, which includes portions of the towns of Bristol and Warren.

The campaign finance violations stem from Ascencao’s failure to report expenditures on his campaign finance filing with the Rhode Island Board of Elections. He failed to report expenditures of approximately $3,357 in payments to his campaign manager and the purchase of campaign palm cards. By not reporting these expenditures, Ascencao intended to hide the fact that the funds came from the checking account of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Ascencao also failed to appoint a campaign treasurer, as is required by state law, other than himself to certify his campaign finance filings associated with his 2018 campaign.

Prior to sentencing, Ascencao repaid $2,992 to the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club. The restitution ordered by the court today, represents the balance of the funds that he diverted for his personal use.

Special Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Q. Morin of the Office of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit and Detective James Brown and Investigator Gerard Ratigan of the Rhode Island State Police Financial Crimes Unit led the investigation and prosecution of the case.