Official State of Rhode Island website

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

Press Releases

Interim Report of the Statewide Grand Jury (Reported June 9, 2022)

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Joao Soares (age 30) Mansfield, M.A. K1-2022-0372A On June 9, 2022, the Statewide Grand Jury returned a secret indictment charging Joao Soares with seven counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree child molestation. The alleged acts occurred in the city of Warwick sometime between May 1, 2007, and September 30, 2009. The Warwick Police Department conducted the investigation. The indictment against the defendant was unsealed and he was arraigned in Kent County Superior Court on June 15, 2022. ### ...

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Urban Violent Crime Initiative targets straw purchasing of firearms

Pair charged with multiple felony counts; Pawtucket man sentenced to state prison in separate straw purchasing cases PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, Central Falls Police Chief Anthony Roberson, and Pawtucket Acting Public Safety Director, Chief Tina Goncalves announced that two individuals have been charged with multiple felony counts and a Pawtucket man was sentenced to state prison in separate cases stemming from joint investigations into illegal firearms trafficking and violent crime in the greater Providence area. ...

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Interim Report of the Statewide Grand Jury (Reported June 9, 2022)

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Brian Sousa (age 26) Westerly, R.I. W1-2022-0161A On June 9, 2022, the Statewide Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Brian Sousa with three counts of first-degree child molestation and three counts of second-degree child molestation. The alleged acts occurred in the town of Westerly sometime between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. The Westerly Police Department conducted the investigation. The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) and is scheduled to be arraigned on June 27, 2022, in Washington County Superior Court. ...

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Interim Report of the Providence County Grand Jury (Reported June 2, 2022)

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Robert Castillo (age 42) Providence, R.I. P1-2022-1992A On June 2, 2022, the Providence County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Robert Castillo with one count of possession of over one kilogram of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to deliver cocaine. The alleged acts occurred in the city of Providence sometime on March 9, 2022. The Rhode Island State Police conducted the investigation. The defendant is scheduled to be arraigned on June 22, 2022, in Providence County Superior Court. ### ...

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Former Catholic Diocese priest indicted for sexual assault

Fourth indictment stemming from comprehensive review of clergy child sexual abuse allegations PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Darnell S. Weaver announced that the Statewide Grand Jury has returned an indictment charging a former priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence with sexually assaulting a juvenile male victim between 1981 and 1982, stemming from an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police into clergy child sexual abuse in Rhode Island. ...

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Providence man sentenced to serve 23 years in state prison for armed assault on a police officer and robbery with ghost gun and large-capacity magazine

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 23 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading to multiple felony charges stemming from his arrest by the Providence Police Department in 2020 for armed robbery and shooting at an officer during a car chase that followed. ...

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