Home Government Elections NAACP Providence president found guilty of violating campaign finance law

NAACP Providence president found guilty of violating campaign finance law

By

Katie Castellani

-

02/29/2024

gavel — FORMER CITY COUNCIL candidate and President of Providence NAACP Gerard Catala has been found guilty of violating state campaign finance laws, R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Darnell Weaver announced Thursday./ PBN FILE PHOTO

PROVIDENCE – Former City Council candidate and Providence NAACP President Gerard Catala has been found guilty of violating state campaign finance laws, R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and R.I. State Police Superintendent Col. Darnell S. Weaver announced Thursday. On Wednesday Judge Anthony Capraro found Catala, 45, guilty of two counts of failing to file campaign

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PROVIDENCE – Former City Council candidate and Providence NAACP President Gerard Catala has been found guilty of violating state campaign finance laws, R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and R.I. State Police Superintendent Col. Darnell S. Weaver announced Thursday. On Wednesday Judge Anthony Capraro found Catala, 45, guilty of two counts of failing to file campaign finance reports according to state law. Catala was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and Capraro filed the case for one year, allowing the case to be expunged if Catala behaves. Catala’s attorney, Jeff Peckham, immediately appealed the conviction to the R.I. Superior Court. “Campaign finance laws exist for many reasons, among them to provide transparency into how candidates are financing their campaigns and whether they are doing so legally,” Neronha said. “In this instance, this Office stepped in at the request of the Board of Elections to prosecute a candidate for public office who blithely and repeatedly ignored campaign finance laws. Failure to file such reports, after repeated directives from the Board of Elections to file them, can lead only to one place: criminal prosecution.” Capraro found Catala had “knowingly and willfully” failed to file two finance reports from his unsuccessful campaign for the Ward 9 seat during the 2022 Providence City Council election. More specifically, during the trial prosecutors proved Catala did not file a required campaign finance report for candidates due 28 days before the primary, Aug. 16, 2022, as well as another required campaign finance report due seven days before the primary or Sept. 6, 2022. In 2022 the R.I. Board of Elections referred the case to Neronha’s office and state police for investigation after repeated efforts to get Catala to file were unsuccessful. The case was investigated and prosecuted by special assistant Alison Bittl with the Attorney General's office and Corporal James Brown with the state police. Richard Thornton, director of campaign finance of the R.I. Board of Elections audited Catala’s campaign account. “I am grateful to the Board of Elections for their strong partnership with this Office, and to the State Police for their usual excellent investigative work in this case,” Neronha said. Catala has also been investigated for failing to comply with campaign finance laws relating to his unsuccessful bids for Providence City Council in 2014 and 2018. These earlier violations were outside of the statute of limitations for prosecution, according to a news release. Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.