PROVIDENCE – A Johnston, RI, beef slaughterhouse was fined $20,000 and placed on three years of federal probation by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy for fraudulently claiming that product they processed and suppled to customers had been federally inspected and passed as required under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) when, in fact, it had not, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Rhode Island Beef and Veal and one of its owners, Michael A. Quattrucci, previously pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding customers by claiming that beef had been inspected under the FMIA, as well as preparing beef without complying with inspection requirements of the FMIA. Additionally, Rhode Island Beef and Veal pleaded guilty to a charge of defrauding customers by use of an official inspection mark of the Secretary of Agriculture without authorization.

Micheal A. Quattrucci was sentenced on July 27, 2023, to one year of federal probation and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000.

According to court documents and information presented to the court, on August 20, 2019, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service served RI Beef and Veal with a notice of suspension and withdrew its inspector. Eight days after the suspension was imposed and the inspector was withdrawn, a USDA supervisor visited the plant and found employees packing various cuts of meat and fraudulently applying USDA marks of inspections to the meat. Additionally, packaged meat with USDA stickers attached was found stored in bins. No inspector was present, as is required by law for these marks to be applied.

A day later, a USDA investigator visited the slaughterhouse and took photos of the illegally marked packages of beef that had been retained from the day before; he also noted 224 pounds of unmarked ground beef and a 594-pound half carcass of beef that had been freshly cut into primal parts for delivery to a customer in Connecticut who supplies meat products to restaurants.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.

The matter was investigated by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island House of Representatives passed the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act, a reform to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

The legislation establishes a five-member hearing committee consisting of three qualified and randomly selected law enforcement officers, a retired judge, and an attorney, a two-tier suspension structure ranging from a five to 14-day summary suspension, and requires the status of all hearings to be published online.

“The passage of this legislation is the result of a positive and powerful collaboration between community groups, legislative leaders and members of law enforcement,” Warwick Police Chief and President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association Bradford Connor said. “We welcome increased transparency because it will help us gain trust with the communities we serve. We are grateful to our legislative leaders for making meaningful and needed changes to the law.”

The Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC released a statement expressing disappointment after the House did not include an amendment, titled the “George Floyd Litmus Test,” in the bill.

The amendment would create a “carve out” in LEOBOR allowing an officer to be fired in certain cases where they used deadly force.

“Despite the haunting potential that a police officer unjustly murders a citizen, a super majority Democrat Rhode Island House of Representatives expressed, through their actions, that they do not value the lives of Rhode Island residents if it comes at the cost of ensuring that police in this state are protected under LEOBOR,” part of the statement reads.

The full statement by BLM RI PAC can be read below:

Conversations calling into question the necessity and impact on the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) began four years ago during the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd by officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A time in which thousands of Rhode Islanders marched in the streets to call for increased police accountability both within the state and federally. Four years later, those calls have gone entirely unanswered. Had the very same scenario happened in Rhode Island today, any officer who commits such a heinous act could not be immediately fired from the police force due to the continued existence of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. Since the onset of these protests, we have joined hand in hand the constant struggle advocating with Rhode Islanders directly impacted by police violence, The Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian American & Pacific Islander caucus, The NAACP Providence branch, The ACLU of Rhode Island, alongside lawmakers and communities of color, amongst many others, in demanding necessary changes be made to any LEOBOR reform bill.

Despite the haunting potential that a police officer unjustly murders a citizen, a super majority Democrat Rhode Island House of Representatives expressed, through their actions, that they do not value the lives of Rhode Island residents if it comes at the cost of ensuring that police in this state are protected under LEOBOR. While this legislation has been named the The Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability, and Transparency Act, BLM RI PAC emphasizes that this is furthest from the truth. The BLM RI PAC expresses extreme disappointment with the outcome of this bill, and will continue to be one of the leading advocates calling for the complete repeal of LEOBOR.

Attorney General Peter Neronha released the following statement after the passage of the bill:

“I am pleased to see that that the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process Accountability and Transparency Act passed today in the House of Representatives. This legislation will help law enforcement better serve their communities and hold accountable those who break the public’s trust. While there is undoubtedly work left to be done, I applaud the General Assembly, community members, law enforcement agencies and others who have contributed to this important effort to improve policing in Rhode Island.

I want to thank Speaker Shekarchi and Deputy Speaker and bill sponsor Raymond A. Hull for their work in passing this important legislation in the House, and Senate President Ruggerio for his efforts in the expected forthcoming action in the Senate.”

The amended bills now head to the Senate.

A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to prison after allegedly robbing a store and assaulting a clerk.

According to court records, 32-year-old Gary Tallo of Johnston, RI, pled guilty to Armed Robbery and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and will serve not less than 4 years and not more than 5 Years, 6 Months.

Seekonk Police stated that on December 13th, just after 10:15 p.m., multiple police units were dispatched to Winn’s Liquors at 21 Brook Street, Seekonk, for the report of an armed robbery in progress.

Police were informed that a white male, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, was threatening the clerk with a knife.

Tallo physically assaulted the clerk and robbed the store of an unknown amount of cash, liquor and cigarettes.

The first arriving officer was able to observe Tallo fleeing the area, on foot, and gave chase.

Seekonk officers were able to locate Tallo in the yard of a nearby residence, where they held him at gunpoint, as het was still armed with the knife, holding it in his hand. Officers gave verbal commands to the suspect, where he eventually complied, and was taken into custody without further incident.

The stolen property from the liquor store was recovered at the scene of the arrest.