Federal Investigation Expands on Washington Bridge

Federal Investigation Expands on Washington Bridge

GoLocal has learned that multiple contractors and engineering firms who have worked on the Washington Bridge since 2015 have received demand letters for all information and communications relating to the bridge from the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ).

Contractors, including Barletta Heavy Division and Cardi Corporation, have received demand letters. As many as a dozen firms may be part of the investigation.

Barletta is presently under indictment and awaiting trial. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee has defended Barletta's continued work on the now dysfunctional Washington Bridge.

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On January 26, McKee’s office announced that it had been notified by the USDOJ and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General that the federal agencies have launched investigations into the failure of the Washington Bridge.

“Today, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation was notified that the United States Department of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General is seeking documents and records related to the Washington Bridge. This is not unexpected, and the Governor welcomes the review. The Governor has instructed the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to fully cooperate. As you know, the Governor has directed his Department of Administration to hire an independent, third-party expert to review this matter as well," said McKee's office at the time. 

GoLocal reported last week that the lead investigator from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), who is driving the investigation into the RIDOT Washington Bridge failure, has previously investigated another Director Peter Alviti-led RIDOT project.

The investigator is USDOT’s Special Agent Todd Collins, who was one of the investigators into the 6/10 contamination in the Olneyville section of Providence — one of the poorest sections of Rhode Island.

The two investigations have a lot in common — Alviti oversaw both the $410 million 6/10 project and the Washington Bridge rehab; both projects had the same lead contractor, Barletta Heavy Division, and now, it is the same investigator.

 

False Claim Act investigation

The demand letter by the DOJ to the McKee Administration was filed under the False Claims Act.

One recent False Claims Act in Rhode Island was the DOJ's investigation into the actions by Barletta Heavy Division, the lead contractor on the state of Rhode Island 6/10 project. That action was sparked by a whistleblower, and led to a non-prosecution agreement between the federal government and Barletta, and a payment by the company of $1.5 million.

Presently, Barletta is the lead contractor on the Washington Bridge.

“The False Claims Act [FCA] provides that any person who knowingly submits, or causes to submit, false claims to the government is liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty that is linked to inflation.  FCA liability can arise in other situations, such as when someone knowingly uses a false record material to a false claim or improperly avoids an obligation to pay the government.  Conspiring to commit any of these acts also is a violation of the FCA,” according to the Department of Justice.

“In addition to allowing the United States to pursue perpetrators of fraud on its own, the FCA allows private citizens to file suits on behalf of the government (called 'qui tam' suits) against those who have defrauded the government.  Private citizens who successfully bring qui tam actions may receive a portion of the government’s recovery,” states the DOJ.

In the case of the 6/10 contamination, James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, filed the qui tam suit.

 

Back to 2015 — The Arrival of Alviti

The demand letter seeks information going back to January of 2015. That timeline aligns with the appointment of then-newly elected Gina Raimondo of Peter Alviti as Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

Raimondo was sworn in as Governor on January 1, 2015. Today, she serves as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Joe Biden.

Alviti came to the Department of Transportation from his position as Director of Programs for the New England Laborers' Health and Safety Fund.

Today, Alviti is the longest-serving director in state service.

This story was first published 2/9/24 10:48 AM