A former candidate for state representative and the political action committee for the Central Falls firefighters union have agreed to pay fines for violating state campaign laws, according to agreements stamped by the R.I. Board of Elections on March 5.
The agreements were approved by unanimous votes following a closed-door discussion.
Ashley Pereira, a Democrat who ran for the R.I. House District 64 seat to represent East Providence in 2022, agreed to pay a $1,500 fine by July 1, according to the consent agreement. Pereira, who lost the Democratic primary to Rep. Brianna Henries, spent nearly $350 from her campaign account for personal use, according to the state elections panel audit. She also did not report a $1,700 loan taken out to bolster her campaign, and accepted cash donations of $100 apiece from two separate donors, exceeding the $25 limit on cash donations, among other offenses.
Pereira also failed to file three quarterly campaign finance reports and failed to submit her 2022 bank statement.
Pereira did not return calls and emails for comment, but according to the agreement with the state elections board, cited “personal and financial issues,” as contributing to her campaign finance violations.
The Board of Elections approved the recommended fine by a 6-0 vote, with member Diane Mederos absent.
A separate agreement relates to campaign finance violations by the political action committee for the Central Falls Firefighters Local 1485 AFL-CIO. As documented in the consent agreement, the union PAC failed to disclose, or misreported, more than $3,000 in campaign contributions and expenses from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023. The committee also failed to turn over its year-end bank statements for 2021 and 2022, as well as four quarterly campaign finance reports.
John Garvey, union president and chairman and treasurer for the PAC, said in an email Thursday that the committee let its PAC account “fall behind” due to large turnover in union officers.
“I myself took the steps necessary to rectify this issue and will be handling the PAC moving forward to prevent this issue from happening again,” Garvey said.
Garvey agreed to pay a $250 fine and to forfeit $500 from the PAC account for unreported campaign contributions. The fine, due within 60 days, will increase to $500 if he fails to also submit monthly financial statements and meet upcoming quarterly campaign finance reporting deadlines.
The Board of Elections approved the agreement by a 5-0 vote, with member Michael Connors abstaining because he is a lieutenant in the Cumberland Fire District and belongs to the union.
Nancy Lavin is a staff writer for the
Rhode Island Current.
