Last Tuesday April 28, 2015 the Providence City Council Finance committee received the news that Providence had improperly included an asset of approximately $62 million in the Pension Plan. Councilmen were informed that this coming June 30th statements will show $62 million missing from the Pension Fund on the reported statement. The report was provided by the Auditor Segal Co. The presentation was made both orally and in print. Click here for the Audio file, readers should start at the 57 minute mark.
Neither the Councilmen nor the Mayor has yet informed the Fire and Police Unions that these assets are gone and really never existed. Taxpayers have not been informed of a jump in unfunded liability and a reduction in pensions Funded ratio to 27% making it the worst in the country? Importantly Bondholders have not been informed as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
How could this happen? How could $62 million missing from the Pension fund? How did I figure this scam out and years of Providence actuaries, accountants, finance directors and Mayors missed it. Unfortunately, one answer could be that Providence officials have known about this accounting maneuver for years. That could be a real problem. I would remind readers of the “Enron Scandal “and ultimate jailing of accountants that worked both within Enron and outside Enron with Arthur Anderson. Fraud was eventually proven and Andrew Fastow was jailed, Ken Lay ,the Chairman of Enron, who had nothing to do with creating the scam was charged with signing documents that were misleading to shareholders and fraudulent . He was convicted and then died before entering prison. Jeffrey Skilling the COO was convicted on 19 counts of securities and wire fraud. Arthur Anderson accountants were fired and Arthur Anderson subsequently folded. Legislation known as Sarbanes Oxley was passed immediately after the 2002 scandal making clear that CEO’s and CFO’s officially signing off on annual reports places them in the crosshairs for any fraudulent misrepresentations that could have misled shareholders. Most of the convictions took place in 2006.
This appears to be exactly what happened in the case in Providence. Rhode Island. Lawrence Mancini, Jim Lombardi, Angel Taveras etc were confronted with my charges over 1 year ago and they denied it. They had signed off on documents for years and continue to do so. Apparently they either were trying to perpetuate the fraud or ignorantly refused to examine the problems cited by this writer. Now they have no choice. They must explain to the Police and Fire Union why $62 million is missing in the pension fund. When shareholders in Enron discovered that the assets in various off balance sheet items known as “special Purpose Vehicles” were fraudulently overstating the Assets of the Company, they rightfully sued the Company. I expect the City should be prepared to be sued and several Finance directors and Mayors could be involved.
This is serious business and I’ve been writing about it for two years. Whistleblowers are used to being ignored by government officials and as well as the inept local media. It must be comforting to know that Projo will provide cover by remaining silent. Don’t be surprised if there are criminal charges coming from the SEC who has the power and jurisdiction over Providence’s disclosure to municipal bondholders. Additionally the ratings agencies are unlikely to take kindly to Providence pumping up or falsifying pension assets.
Mayor Elorza has one chance to distance himself from this scam but must do it immediately. The city has been looking for real leadership for sometime and this is his moment. I would start with Firing Segal for not being more forceful taking this action sooner. I would also bring in a forensic accountant to find out when this started which could be anywhere from 1995 to 2007. We know that every accountant, actuary, finance director and Mayor after 2007 is probably guilty of misleading investors and taxpayers and the Pension beneficiaries.
Michael G. Riley is vice chair at Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, and is managing member and founder of Coastal Management Group, LLC. Riley has 35 years of experience in the financial industry, having managed divisions of PaineWebber, LETCO, and TD Securities (TD Bank). He has been quoted in Barron’s, Wall Street Transcript, NY Post, and various other print media and also appeared on NBC News, Yahoo TV, and CNBC.
Editors's Note: In a previous version Riley had identified confronting John Lombardi; it has been corrected to Jim Lomardi.
Top Providence Pensions
#49
Name- Daniel Guertin
Annual Earning- $95,050.92
Postition- Police-5
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19,1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#48
Name- Carmine Vallante
Annual Earning- $95,140.20
Postition- Fire-4
City- Johnston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19,1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#47
Name- Alfred Millard
Annual Earning- $95,368.32
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- March 24, 1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#46
Name- James Rattigan
Annual Earning- $95,983.44
Postition- Fire-4
City- North Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- June 30, 2003
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#45
Name- Frank Deangelis
Annual Earning- $95,986.80
Postition- Fire-4
City- North Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#44
Name- Stephen Lowe
Annual Earning- $96,156.36
Postition- Fire-4
City- Bristol
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 17, 1992
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#43
Name- Mary Gonsalves
Annual Earning- $97,463.04
Postition- Police-5
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- December 1, 1993
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#42
Name- William O'Neill
Annual Earning- $98,160.96
Postition- Fire-4
City- Cumberland
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- August 22, 1990
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#41
Name- Paul Healy
Annual Earning- $98,183.28
Postition- Fire-4
City- Cranston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- October 20, 1993
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#40
Name- James Molloy
Annual Earning- $98,711.16
Postition- Fire-4
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 18, 1987
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#39
Name- Livia Miller
Annual Earning- $99,193.80
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- May 1, 1997
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#38
Name- Joseph Battista
Annual Earning- $99,271.08
Postition- Fire-4
City- Johnston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- April 29, 2004
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#37
Name- Robert Kerfoot
Annual Earning- $100,140.36
Postition- Fire-4
City- Cranston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- March 24, 1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#36
Name- Ralph Ricci
Annual Earning- $100,357.44
Postition- Fire-4
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- April 28, 1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#35
Name- Henry Latek
Annual Earning- $100,502.52
Postition- Fire-4
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- June 30, 1995
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#34
Name- Joseph Bradley
Annual Earning- $100,898.52
Postition- Fire-4
City- Whitefield
State- NH
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- November 20, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#33
Name- Ronald Johnson
Annual Earning- $102,098.64
Postition- Fire-4
City- North Scituate
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- May 1, 2003
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#32
Name- Gloria Pisaturo
Annual Earning- $103,385.76
Postition- Police-5
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- December 1, 2002
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#31
Name- Edmond Malloy
Annual Earning- $103,575.72
Postition- Police-5
City- Chepachet
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- September 5, 1990
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#30
Name- John Reposa
Annual Earning- $104,665.44
Postition- Fire-4
City- Jamestown
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- June 21, 1995
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#29
Name- Pasquale Rocchio
Annual Earning- $105,238.32
Postition- Police-5
City- North Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- August 22, 1989
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#28
Name- David Deignan
Annual Earning- $105,609.36
Postition- Police-5
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#27
Name- Lee Podedworny
Annual Earning- $106,838.16
Postition- Fire-4
City- South Kingstown
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- July 23, 1992
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#26
Name- Nancy Donahue
Annual Earning- $107,757.24
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- July 1, 2005
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#25
Name- Domenic Pono
Annual Earning- $107,850.72
Postition- Fire-4
City- Cranston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#24
Name- John Murphy
Annual Earning- $107,892.84
Postition- Fire-4
City- Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#23
Name- Robert Carlson
Annual Earning- $108,555.36
Postition- Fire-4
City- Greenville
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- April 24, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#22
Name- Robert Emmett
Annual Earning- $109,256.16
Postition- Police-5
City- Cranston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- November 13, 1990
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#21
Name- Thomas Doyle
Annual Earning- $109,329.24
Postition- Fire-4
City- West Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- August 26, 1988
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#20
Name- Joseph Errico
Annual Earning- $109,611.60
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- June 30, 1995
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#19
Name- Edward MacDonald
Annual Earning- $110,225.64
Postition- Fire-4
City- Johnston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- May 26, 1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#18
Name- Alfred Lamothe
Annual Earning- $110,505.96
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- September 6, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#17
Name- Ernest Silva
Annual Earning- $112,796.28
Postition- Fire-4
City- Ft. Myers
State- FL
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- April 24, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#16
Name- Edward Dolan
Annual Earning- $113,126.04
Postition- Fire-4
City- North Kingstown
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#15
Name- Paul Marianetti
Annual Earning- $113,331.60
Postition- Fire-4
City- Ormond Beach
State- FL
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- November 17, 1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#14
Name- Rosemary Clark
Annual Earning- $114,725.64
Postition- Police-5
City- Chepachet
State- RI
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- August 1, 2004
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#13
Name- John Gannon
Annual Earning- $117,318.60
Postition-Police-5
City- Coventry
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- January 24, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#12
Name- Marcia Moise
Annual Earning- $119,791.20
Postition- Fire-4
City- Jupiter
State- FL
Retirement Type- Beneficiary
Retirement Date- April 1, 1997
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#11
Name- Robert Read
Annual Earning- $123,105.00
Postition- Fire-4
City- Cranston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#10
Name- Alfred Bertoncini
Annual Earning- $123,599.16
Postition- Fire-4
City- Smithfield
State- RI
Retirement Type- Service
Retirement Date- December 19,1994
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#9
Name- Victor Dichiara
Annual Earning- $126,845.28
Postition- Fire-4
City- East Greenwich
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 17, 1992
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#8
Name- Edmund Calcagni
Annual Earning- $135,702.72
Postition- Police-5
City- North Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 29, 1990
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#7
Name- James Kelly
Annual Earning- $137,336.04
Postition- Fire-4
City- Greenville
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- September 28, 1988
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#6
Name- Vincent Delisi
Annual Earning- $145,520.88
Postition- Fire-4
City- North Providence
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 17, 1992
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#5
Name- William Manchester
Annual Earning- $148,839.84
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- December 19, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#4
Name- William D'Iorio
Annual Earning- $156,870.60
Postition- Fire-4
City- Smithfield
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- Novemver 29, 1990
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#3
Name- Anthony Sauro
Annual Earning- $161,487.24
Postition- Fire-4
City- Johnston
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- July 5, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#2
Name- Robert Anthony
Annual Earning- $162,944.04
Postition- Fire-4
City- Smithfield
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- September 25, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
#1
Name- Gilbert McLaughlin
Annual Earning- $196,813.08
Postition- Fire-4
City- Warwick
State- RI
Retirement Type- Accidental Disability
Retirement Date- October 24, 1991
Source: This information was secured through a FOIA request from the city of Providence.
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