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State of Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha ,

Press Releases

Providence man charged with second-degree child molestation

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with multiple child molestation offenses stemming from his arrest by the Providence Police Department on January 27, 2023. On March 31, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Pasquale Gaudiano (age 46), by way of criminal information, with two counts of second-degree child molestation. ...

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Providence man charged with second-degree child molestation

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with three counts of second-degree child molestation following his arrest by the Providence Police Department on January 23, 2023. On March 31, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Luis Lorenzo (age 40), by way of criminal information, with three counts of second-degree child molestation. ...

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Burrillville man charged with possession of ghost gun at Eleanor Slater Hospital

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Burrillville man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with possession of a ghost gun after his arrest by the Rhode Island State Police on November 23, 2022. On April 4, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Kenneth Fullam (age 60), by way of criminal information, with one count of possession of a ghost gun. The Rhode Island State Police conducted the investigation. ...

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Providence man charged with trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, amphetamine and oxycodone

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with multiple drug trafficking offenses following his arrest by the Rhode Island State Police in December 2022. On April 4, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged Geraldo Valenzuela (age 30), by way of criminal information, with one count of possession with intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of fentanyl; one count of possession with intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of cocaine; one count of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl; one count of possession with intent to deliver cocaine; one count of possession of 10 grams or less of amphetamine; and one count of possession of 10 grams or less of oxycodone. ...

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Providence man arraigned on additional charges in fentanyl-related death of 15-year old female

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, Colonel Oscar Perez of the Providence Police Department, and Colonel Bradford Connor of the Warwick Police Department today announced that a Providence man has been arraigned in Third Division District Court on charges stemming from the fentanyl-related death of a 15-year-old female. Juan Pizarro (age 34) was arraigned on April 17 and charged with engaging in a controlled substance transaction resulting in death of a minor. The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI). ...

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Attorney General Neronha: Full protections for mifepristone access remain intact in Rhode Island

On April 13, Judge Thomas O. Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington issued an order reiterating that his injunction protecting access to mifepristone in Rhode Island and 17 other states remains in full force and effect notwithstanding recent orders by courts in Texas. As a result, access to mifepristone in Rhode Island is protected and providers and pharmacies can continue to prescribe and dispense mifepristone in the same manner as they have been. ...

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Johnston man sentenced to 15 years in prison for physically abusing 4-month-old son

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Johnston man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for physically abusing his four-month-old son in 2017. On April 13, 2023, Superior Court Justice Daniel A. Procaccini sentenced Jean Diaz De La Rosa (age 27) in Providence County Superior Court to 20 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI), with 15 years to serve. Additionally, the defendant must undergo mental health and anger treatment, and abide by a no-contact order with the victim. ...

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Providence man sentenced to life in prison for 2021 murder

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today announced that a Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve consecutive life sentences at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for the 2021 murder of 31-year-old Nickolas DiPanni of Smithfield. ...

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Attorney General Neronha joins multistate coalition to fight back against decision to block medication abortion access

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today joined a multistate coalition to challenge the decision issued by a district court judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas that could restrict medication abortion access nationwide. The amicus brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, urges the court to stay the district court’s ruling pending appeal. If allowed to take effect, the Texas ruling would effectively undo the over two-decade old approval of the medication abortion drug, mifepristone by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ...

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