Fmr. RI House Finance Chairman to Plead Guilty to Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Tax Charges

Fmr. RI House Finance Chairman to Plead Guilty to Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Tax Charges

PROVIDENCE – According to signed documents filed in U.S. District Court in Providence today, Raymond E. Gallison, Jr., 64, of Bristol, R.I., a former member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and House Finance Committee Chairman, has agreed to plead guilty to federal mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing false tax return charges.

According to signed court documents, Gallison will admit to wide-ranging fraudulent and deceptive conduct to steal private money and hide his misuse of public money, and covering his tracks while doing so. Gallison will admit to the theft of funds from the estate of a deceased individual to which he was appointed executor; theft of funds from a Special Needs Trust established to protect the long-term welfare of a disabled individual to which he was appointed trustee; providing false information on tax documents, including vastly inflating the number of students assisted by a non-profit organization funded by public money while failing to disclose amounts paid by that organization to him; and failure to pay taxes on income derived from his criminal actions.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced the filing of a federal Information charging Raymond E. Gallison, Jr., with four (4) counts of mail fraud; one (1) count of wire fraud; one (1) count of aggravated identity theft; one (1) count of aiding the filing of a false tax document; and two (2) counts of filing a false tax return. According to a Plea Agreement filed in this matter, Gallison will serve, at a minimum, two years in federal prison.

According to signed documents filed with the Court, Gallison will admit that:

As executor of an estate of an individual from Barrington, R.I., who passed away in February 2012, he devised and executed various schemes to steal or transfer to his own name and bank accounts, cash, checks, stocks and real property belonging to the deceased person and/or his estate, valued at a total of $677,957.06. Gallison will admit that he fraudulently used the name and social security number of the deceased person to execute a scheme to cause the liquidation of certain stocks belonging to the deceased person;

He caused the filing of a false tax document on behalf of Alternative Education Programming (AEP), a non-profit organization which provided educational programs to students who may need assistance with course work, and/or minority and/or disadvantaged students who may need financial or other assistance to gain an education, and of which Gallison was listed as Assistant Director. The tax document listed that $77,957 in tuition and related fees and expenses were paid for 47 students from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. In fact, on behalf of AEP, Gallison paid only $3,137.29 to assist 2 students during that year and paid approximately $64,575 to himself and another person in wages and consulting fees for no work undertaken on AEP’s behalf;

As trustee for a disabled person’s Special Needs Trust, he defrauded the Trust by writing a check from the Trust account for $8,900, which he deposited into an AEP account. Gallison then wrote a check for $8,800 from the AEP account to pay an outstanding bill at the Community College of Rhode Island; and

He failed to claim a total of $622,286.17 in income on joint IRS tax returns for tax years 2012 and 2013, and, as a result of his relevant conduct from 2012-2015, Gallison failed to pay a total of $226,332.31 in taxes.

An information is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Joining United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin in announcing the filing of an information and plea agreement in this matter are Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division; Joel P. Garland, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; and Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

The matter was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office, FBI, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General, and the Rhode Island State Police.

The case is being prosecuted in federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dulce Donovan and William J. Ferland, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Baum of the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General.