Treasurer appoints staff members
PROVIDENCE – General Treasurer Paul J. Tavares has appointed several staff members, including Michael Mello, former Bristol town councilman, as chief of staff, and William Castro of East Providence, former Rhode Island Senate president pro-tempe, as deputy treasurer for policy and legislative affairs. Castro managed Tavares’ campaign for his recent election. Others appointed to Tavares’ staff are Catherine Avila, a lawyer who was director of volunteers for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign, as administrator of the Crime Victim Administration Program; George Carvalho of Pawtucket, and member of that city’s zoning board, as general counsel; and Jennifer Bramley, former press secretary for Myrth York’s campaign for governor.
Middletown man convicted of IRS violations
PROVIDENCE – Philip A. Beaulieu Sr., 76, of 25 Perry St., Middletown, owner of Phil Beaulieu Tax Services, also of that community, has been convicted after a jury trial in U.S. District Court, Providence, of impeding the Internal Revenue Service by misleading clients. Sentencing of Beaulieu, who is free on bond, is scheduled for March 26. U.S. Attorney Charles A. Tamuleviz said Beaulieu, after preparing and/or submitting tax returns for clients in the Aquidneck Island, Fall River area, promised those who were notified by the IRS that there were problems with their returns that he would resolve them. However, according to Tamuleviz, Beaulieu either ignored his clients’ problems or failed to appear at appointments to discuss the problems with the IRS. Tamuleviz added that Beaulieu subsequently falsified IRS documents, in one case sending them to a client’s employer to release an IRS wage lien, then refused to give clients their own files when they hired new representatives to resolve their problems. According to court records, Beaulieu was convicted in 1988 on 14 counts of helping prepare false tax returns, for which he was sentenced to serve one year in federal prison.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
RI joins 29 states in bankruptcy settlement
PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will receive $28,000 from the $3 million settlement with Direct American Marketers, Inc. for that company’s violations of consumer fraud laws. It is believed that this is the first time that states’ attorneys general have jointly pursued fraud claims through bankruptcy courts. The fraud involved the use of sweepstakes to generate telephone responses by “winners” using the 900 number telephone connection. The result produced, according to Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse’s office, tens of millions of dollars of sales from tens of millions of solicitations. The solicitations offered cash prizes which had to be obtained through calls using a 900 number. The typical phone call at about $4 a minute cost between $20 and $40, fees which benefited DAMI. Although DAMI started its operation in 1986, the bankruptcy claim only covered the period from 1994 through 1997, the year the company filed for bankruptcy. During that period more than 65,000 Rhode Islanders spent more than $1.5 million participating in the scam, according to the attorney general’s office. The $28,000 will go into the state’s general fund. Whitehouse urged Rhode Islanders who think they are being pursued by a dishonest or misleading sweepstakes scheme to contact the Consumers Protection Unit of the Attorney General’s Office, 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI, 02903.
Historic Homes Festival rated among top events
PROVIDENCE – The Festival of Historic Homes in Providence has been rated among the top 100 events for North America in 1999 by the American Bus Association, a trade organization representing 700 intercity, motor-coach companies and 2,300 travel and tourism related businesses. Nominated by the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, the festival held annually on the city’s East Side is described by the ABA as “one of the most impressive concentrations of original Colonial homes in America.” This year the festival will be from June 11 through June 13. Other events included in the top 100 events include the Festival International De Jazz De Montreal, the Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, and the Ozark Mountain Christmas.
Nielsen rates Providence TV first show high
PROVIDENCE – Despite intensely critical previews by assorted critics, the NBC television program Providence drew a relatively high audience rating for its opening show on Friday, Jan. 8, according to the Nielsen rating service. Nielsen reported the show had a 13.1 rating nationally and led all competitors in its time slot (8 p.m. to 9 p.m.) in all 44 of the areas metered by the company. NBC had been averaging 7.4 percent in that Friday time slot this season. In Providence, not surprisingly, 40 out of 50 households watching TV were tuned in to the program of the same name.
Providence mall adds two stores
PROVIDENCE – Ann Taylor and Lensecrafters have been added to the lineup of companies which have leased space at the Providence Place mall, which is scheduled to open next fall. Ann Taylor, a women’s clothing chain, has leased 4,400 square feet of space and Lensecrafters, one of a chain of optical shops, has leased 3,000 square feet, according to the leasing agent.
