Rhode Island
Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island – The Boston Globe
![Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island – The Boston Globe Chinese billionaire pleads guilty to straw donor scheme in New York and Rhode Island – The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/pf/resources/images/logo-bg.jpg?d=461)
When asked, an attorney for Adams, Vito Pitta, said: âAs the federal government made clear today, the campaign had no knowledge of a straw donor scheme â and no member of the campaign has been charged with or accused of any wrongdoing.”
Qin was previously included on the Forbes list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion from his stake in film and entertainment companies, including the Honk Kong-based SMI Culture. He has been in U.S. custody since his arrest last October on charges of using a fake identification.
A phone call to his attorney was not immediately returned.
Campaign finance records show Qin, who is a Chinese citizen with a U.S. green card, donated $2,000 to Adams in March of 2021. Under the cityâs campaign finance rules, green card-holders can contribute to races and participate in the cityâs generous matching funds program, which caps donations at $2,100.
Nine months after he donated to Adams, federal prosecutors say Qin began working âto find individuals to make more than $10,000 in straw donor contributionsâ to an unnamed New York City candidate.
At least one person donated $1,000 on Qinâs behalf on Dec. 9, according to prosecutors. The following day, Qin spoke with an unnamed co-conspirator, who told him they expected to be able to obtain up to $20,000 in straw donor contributions for the candidate.
Adams, a Democrat, is currently facing a federal investigation for his fundraising practices that prompted the FBI to seize his cell phones last year. Earlier this month, agents raided the homes of one of his top aides, Winnie Greco, as part of an investigation led by the U.S. Attorneyâs Office in Brooklyn.
An investigation by Manhattan prosecutors into an alleged straw donor scheme over the summer resulted in the arrest of six people, who were accused of seeking to divert public money into Adamsâ campaign to gain political favors.
Prosecutors say Qin engaged in similar straw donor schemes to funnel donations to a U.S. representative in New York and a congressional candidate in Rhode Island.
Federal Elections Commission records show Qin donated $2,900 in 2022 to the campaign of Allan Fung, a Republican former mayor who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in Rhode Island. Fung didnât respond to messages seeking comment Monday.
Records also show that a man named Jonathan Chau, who provided Adamsâ transition committee with $1,000 on December 9, 2021, gave $5,800 to a committee supporting Fung, and $2,900 to a committee backing Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Long Island Republican.
Prosecutors said Qin hid his illicit funding efforts from the officials they were intended to benefit, causing them to unknowingly file false campaign reports.
Chau could not be reached for comment. Garbarino did not respond to an emailed request.
As part of the plea deal, Qin also admitted that he filed a false application for lawful permanent residency status in the U.S. 2019 when he claimed to have never used an alias. In fact, prosecutors said, he was provided the alias âMuk Lam Li,â along with accompanying identification documents, by an official in the Chinese government in 2008.
He used that identity to transfer more than $5 million to a U.S. bank account, spending some of it on a luxury apartment in Manhattan, according to prosecutors.
Qin will give up his right to live in the U.S. and be deported as part of his plea deal, prosecutors said.
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Rhode Island
EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners
![EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners](https://eastgreenwichnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-EG-News-team-e1722027431778.jpeg)
Rhode Island
How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship
![How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/25/NPRJ/74545332007-dsc-01738-gigapixelstandardscale-2-00-x.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=9278,5220,x0,y722&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Cranston Western Little League Softball is on the doorstep of reaching the national tournament.
The Rhode Island state champions reached the New England regional finals with a 6-5 comeback win vs. Massachusetts on Wednesday. And now the Ocean State team plays in the winner-take-all championship in Bristol, Connecticut at noon.
If you can’t make the drive to see Rhode Island’s best, you can still watch from afar.
Stream links and television information for the championship vs. Connecticut is below.
How they got there: RI is off to the Little League Softball regional title game
How to watch the New England Little League Softball championship
Date: Friday, July 26
Time: Noon
Location: A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center in Bristol, Connecticut
Stream: ESPN
Previous matchup: Rhode Island topped Connecticut, 13-3, in the opening game of the New England tournament. The Ocean State tacked on eight runs in the bottom of the fourth that broke open a 5-3 game. RI piled up eight hits and 11 RBIs in the big win.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
Rhode Island
NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly $2 million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda
![NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda](https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/2023-03/PHOTO-Climate-Collage-HEXAGON-Design-BIL-With-NEW-Logo-2022_0.jpg)
Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended nearly $2 million for a project in Rhode Island to make the state’s coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“As part of President Biden’s commitment to combating the climate crisis, we are investing $575 million to help make sure America’s coastal communities are more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of this historic investment in our nation’s climate resilience the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $2 million to help underserved communities in Rhode Island develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from increased flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather events.”
Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; building resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and providing employment opportunities.
“This historic funding is vital for helping Rhode Island communities confront the unique coastal challenges posed by a changing climate,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “The recommended project will empower Rhode Islanders to better prepare for climate change, fostering a more resilient, equitable future for these coastal communities.”
The recommended project in Rhode Island includes $1,999,777 for work with the Aquidneck Land Trust in partnership with the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth and Naval Station Newport. The project, Growing Regional Resilience Coordination on Aquidneck Island, capitalizes on the momentum of resilience initiatives already underway on the island. Committed to conserving the island’s open spaces and building on prior successful projects (including the conservation of over 2,800 acres), the land trust will use this opportunity to grow their island-wide approach to resilience, offering technical assistance, capacity building, and actionable strategies for responding to climate change. Implemented projects will include nature-based solutions to address threats from flooding, increasing storms, extreme temperatures, drought, sea level rise and water pollution.
“Coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change and face unique climate challenges – from flooding to water pollution to sea level rise. This federal funding will help the Aquidneck Land Trust and its partners work collaboratively to strengthen their collective resiliency to the impacts of climate change. I applaud their cooperative approach to mitigating the impacts of climate change for future generations and look forward to seeing the results of their work in these Rhode Island communities,” said Senator Jack Reed.
“Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act, we’re accelerating climate resiliency across the Ocean State,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who helped shape major climate provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act. “This federal funding will provide a big boost to resiliency and conservation projects on Aquidneck Island and help strengthen our defenses against climate change.”
“As the Ocean State, coastal management is essential to protecting our communities and our way of life from the existential threat of climate change,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01). “That is why I am proud to have joined my colleagues in supporting the Aquidneck Land Trust in their quest to receive more than $2 million in federal funding. This federal investment will help expand their island-wide approach to resilience and leverage nature-based solutions to fight the climate crisis.”
Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge website.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.
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