PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island immigration attorney and former judge is being accused of professional misconduct after allegedly defrauding 10 clients out of thousands of dollars each, and now the case is making its way through R.I. state's Supreme Court.
Joseph Molina Flynn, who has law offices in Providence and Boston, reportedly received payments from the clients to file important immigration documents on their behalf like work permits and asylum applications.
However, he failed to do so despite accepting the money, according to the accusations levied against him, which were outlined in a detailed, 10-count petition submitted by R.I. Chief Disciplinary Counsel Kerry Reilley Travers to the R.I. Supreme Court on May 12.
Molina Flynn reportedly used his own status as a Spanish-speaking immigrant from Colombia, who himself was undocumented for 15 years before obtaining citizenship, to create a sense of trust and confidence amongst the victims, the petition states.
The petition described one of the defrauded clients as a single mother of a child with special needs. The victim, whose name and country of origin were redacted, reportedly paid Molina Flynn $5,000 to file applications for asylum, cancellation of
removal proceedings and a work permit, which he never did.
Nine other clients were also listed in the petition, with all claiming losses between $3,000 and $8,000 due to Molina Flynn's alleged misconduct. The Chief Disciplinary Counsel said it started receiving complaints about him two years ago.
The court investigation also uncovered that Molina Flynn was using his law firm’s business account to pay off personal credit card bills.
He founded Molina Flynn Law Offices in 2015, focusing on immigration, family and criminal cases, according to the firm's website.
In January 2021, he was appointed Municipal Court judge for the city of Central Falls, making history as both the first openly gay individual and the first formerly undocumented person to serve as a judge in Rhode Island, the website states.
Molina Flynn stepped down as judge in January 2025 following a raid of his Providence office conducted by Homeland Security, IRS and the FBI, as first reported by WJAR-TV NBC 10. Videos of the raid amassed millions of views on social media.
Meanwhile, the Chief Disciplinary Counsel said it's now seeking a formal hearing to present the allegations against Molina Flynn and to recommend appropriate disciplinary action before the court, according to the petition.
Molina Flynn was not available for comment.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
