Addendum: Charlestown Pols score four spots on Elections delinquency list

Board of Elections publishes new list of overdue fines on campaign violations

By Will Collette

Addendum: Charlestown's special counsel for Indian Affairs, "Injun Joe" Larisa, was listed by GoLocalProv as "the biggest offender in 2011" of the RI Ethics Law. This was for Larisa's second major ethics violation since 2007. Larisa, the former Mayor of East Providence, represents the town in fighting whatever it is the Narragansett Tribe wants to do. According to Town Hall records, the town has paid Larisa $169,259 since July 2009.

Here we are in the 2012 Campaign season and some local politicians still haven't cleaned up after the 2010 campaign.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections released its new list of overdue campaign fines. These overdue payments total almost $1.2 million and are spread among over 200 individual candidates and PACs. Typically, the fines are for failure to file required campaign finance disclosure forms, with added interest and penalties for non-payment.

Another pol busted for behaving badly

Carnevale

Johnston Dem charged with two counts of sexual assault
By Will Collette

State Rep. John Carnevale (D-Johnston) has been indicted by a grand jury of two counts of sexual assault, one for first degree and one for second degree sexual assault as well as a third charge of assault with the intent to commit sexual assault. The Associated Press reports the charges stem from a July 28 incident in Johnston.

Carnevale is a retired Providence police office on a disability pension.

Update on RI GOP crime spree

House Republicans go to court to face charges

By Will Collette

There are very few Republicans serving in the Rhode Island General Assembly, a lot fewer than the Democrats. But per capita statistics, Rhode Island’s Republican lawmakers seem to be on a major crime spree especially for drug-related crime.

In the past couple of days, two of those troubled Republicans had their day in court. Today, Rep. Bob “Marley” Watson (R-East Greenwich) faced the judge in New Haven, CT over DUI and drug possession charges stemming from his arrest last April 22 by East Haven police. And yesterday, Rep. Dan Gordon (R-Portsmouth) was in court in Fall River court answering charges that got him arrested last month.