Subpoenas Issued in Grand Jury Probe of Mattiello's Ordering of Convention Center Audit

Subpoenas Issued in Grand Jury Probe of Mattiello's Ordering of Convention Center Audit

Members of the board of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, as well as at least one member of the Convention Center Authority staff, have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in the probe into Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello’s order to audit the agency, GoLocal has learned. 

In January, Mattiello ordered the audit after close friend James Demers, who had been a security director at the time, was placed on administrative leave, after a top female executive at the Convention Center Authority reported harassment and abuse by Demers. 

The Convention Center called the audit “illegal” — and asked Rhode Island State Police Superintendent James Manni to investigate. 

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In a letter signed by the Chair of the Convention Center Authority Board Bernie Buonanno and James McCarville, Executive Director, they wrote in part, “Given that we are already subject to an annual financial audit which is posted to our website and provided to the Governor, House of Representatives, Senate, Auditor General, among others, and that this most recent audit request was issued and then rescinded, the Convention Center Authority requests a formal investigation by the State Police into the nexus of this request, the motivation behind it and if any laws were broken in the process.”

As GoLocal first reported, the Rhode Island State Police were looking into the matter at the time of the Convention Center Authority request. 

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s office has not commented on the subpoenas or grand jury. 

Role of JCLS in Question 

Following the ordering of the audit, Rhode Island House Republican Leader Blake Filippi filed a lawsuit in Rhode Island Superior Court that called the audit of the Rhode Island Convention Center illegal.

The audit was ordered by the Joint Committee on Legislative Services (JCLS) — a committee controlled by Mattiello and has not met in years.

Mattiello ultimately rescinded the audit request.  On Tuesday, Mattiello spokesperson Larry Berman declined comment on the grand jury. 

The issuing of the subpoenas were first reported by WPRI.com.