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Corrupt Central Falls Mayor Falls Hard
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Former Central Falls, R.I., Mayor Charles D. Moreau, 49, of Lincoln, R.I., has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for participating in a corruption scheme.
Moreau, a longtime friend and business associate of Michael G. Bouthillette, 49, of Lincoln, R.I., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence today for accepting goods and services from Bouthillette as a reward for directing and providing board-up work on more than 160 properties in Central Falls between 2007 and 2009.
As part of the scheme, Moreau circumvented the State requirement that such work go out for competitive bidding by declaring that each vacant home presented as an “emergency” necessitating an immediate board-up.
According to court documents, Moreau and Bouthillette each pled guilty to one count of Federal Program Fraud. Moreau was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service, and a fine of $25,000.
Bouthillette was sentenced to 3 years of probation, including 2,000 hours of community service to the residents of Central Falls, the equivalent of one year of fulltime employment without pay, and a fine of $5,000. The court also ordered Bouthillette to provide the Rhode Island Foundation with a payment of $160,000 to establish an endowment of charitable funds for the residents of Central Falls for public safety, housing and education programs.
The investigation revealed that Bouthillette submitted an invoice to the City of Central Falls for a board-up, at which time a lien was placed on the subject property for the amount of the invoice. As foreclosed properties were sold and the liens discharged, Central Falls would pay Bouthillette. The scheme allowed Bouthillette to make unreasonable profits amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The cases were prosecuted in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly and Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General J. Patrick Youngs. Moreau and Bouthillette’s actions have been widely condemned by local officials and residents, who see this as a major victory for accountability and transparency in government.
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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