GoLocal Investigation Leads to More Than 20% of Fines Collected by US Attorney in RI

GoLocal Investigation Leads to More Than 20% of Fines Collected by US Attorney in RI

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced Friday that the District of Rhode Island collected $6,952,328.06 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2023. Of this amount, $3,275,794.48 was collected in criminal actions and $3,676,533.58 was collected in civil actions.

A series of more than 50 reports by GoLocalProv uncovered the dumping of contaminated materials next to homes in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence. 

James White, President of Local 57, was the first to contact GoLocal and blow the whistle on the dumping.

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Ultimately, the lead contractor on the 6/10 project, Barletta Heavy Division, was forced to pay the U.S. Attorney $1.5 million in a non-prosecution agreement.

The Barletta settlement equals 21% of the office's total collection.

 

6/10 in Focus, Washington Bridge Connection

The material dumped by Barletta was adjacent to homes and businesses — the homes included homes with multiple children and two pregnant women.

Barletta is also the contractor on the failed I-195 George Washington Bridge, which has been closed for more than six weeks, creating a commuting nightmare for many in Rhode Island.

Governor Dan McKee has defended the continued use of Barletta for the repair work on the closed bridge.

“This is why investigative journalism matters. GoLocal began uncovering the dumping in September of 2020, and it took thousands of hours of work to cover this environmental crime," said GoLocal Co-Founder and CEO Josh Fenton. 

The project manager pled guilty to multiple federal charges.

In addition, there are multiple state charges pending against Barletta.

Additionally, the United States Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $652,429 in cases pursued jointly by these offices. Of this amount, $2,429,19 was collected in criminal actions and $$650,000 was collected in civil actions.         

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Rhode Island, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $1,572,686 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2023. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.