AG: Ex-McKee chief of staff broke no bribery laws but used ‘very poor judgement’

PROVIDENCE – Anthony Silva, Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s former chief of staff, was found by R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha on Wednesday to not have broken any bribery or extortion laws when Silva’s family property at 45 Caning St. in Cumberland was issued a wetlands alteration permit by the R.I. Department of Environmental Management in July 2020, after the agency denied the approval.

However, Neronha, in his conclusion, offered a strong rebuke toward Silva’s actions, saying the former chief of staff used “very poor judgement,” and put state regulatory officials and employees “in very difficult and unenviable positions.”

Back in late July 2021, a month before Neronha launched his nearly year-long investigation into Silva at McKee’s request, Cumberland officials filed a legal complaint in Superior Court seeking an injunction to block DEM’s approval of the permit, which at the time would have allowed the Silva family to develop the property. The property was acquired by Silva’s son and, after local opposition arose, he withdrew the proposal to develop the land and subsequently donated it to the town of Cumberland.

Silva resigned Aug. 20, 2021, from his role as the governor’s chief of staff. In January, the R.I. Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint from the Rhode Island Republican Party against Silva, where the commission cited a lack of evidence to support the GOP’s claims.

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In his findings that were publicly published on Wednesday, Neronha said there is no evidence that Silva offered Cumberland Mayor Jeffrey Mutter or any other town official money in exchange of the town withdrawing its objection to the application. Neronha’s investigation also didn’t find any evidence that Silva tried to extort the town into withdrawing the objection.

“The closest Mr. Silva’s conduct came to that line is his fabricated assertion that the Mooneys [the previous property owners] might bring legal action against the Town based on the Town’s failure to properly manage the flooding in the area,” Neronha said.

In a statement, McKee spokesperson Andrea Palagi said the attorney general confirmed what the governor “has said from the beginning – the governor had no involvement in this matter and no laws were broken.” Additionally, Palagi said, Additionally, the report confirms that DEM “followed their normal procedures and did their job properly.”

“Based on this report, the people of Rhode Island should have full confidence in how both the Governor and the [DEM] conduct state business,” Palagi said.

But, Neronha offered strong criticism toward Silva’s behavior. He described the situation as painting a picture that is consistent with what many Rhode Islanders believe happens routinely: “[A] government insider who, because of his position as the lieutenant governor’s chief of staff, was able to have the ear of top DEM officials and put his application on their radar screen.”

“He pressured town of Cumberland officials, and whether he intended to play the role of the heavy or not, that is plainly how his conduct was interpreted,” Neronha said. “He threatened litigation on behalf of the actual owners of the property (the Mooneys), who had never threatened any such thing. That is bad enough, but in doing so, he also potentially damaged the Mooney’s reputation with Town officials.”

Neronha further concluded that this “debacle wasted plenty of government time” and contributed to “a reduction of the public’s faith in government.”

Palagi didn’t immediately respond to a question Wednesday as to whether or not will there be any changes or efforts on McKee’s office’s part to help restore any confidence that was potentially lost as a result of this situation.

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

1 COMMENT

  1. Well I guess Cumberland “know a guy” is a little different than Cranston “know a guy” but they are both disgustingly corrupt and supported by Democratic AG’s like Neronha and Kilmartin. So sad.