Over the last four months, the state Board of Elections has excused hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for candidates who have failed to file quarterly finance reports or filed them late.
This flurry follows years in which the Board has been frustrated by the courts, which, when asked by offenders, have regularly significantly reduced the fines because judges have considered the fines to be excessive.
It also comes more than four years after the Boad stopped posting its aging fines report, listing nearly 130 candidates and political organizations statewide that have failed to file their campaign finance reports, or filed them late.
The last posted list was on Sept. 30, 2021, and the 129 candidates and organizations listed owed fines of nearly $5.1 million.
Failure to file on time, or at all, carries an initial fine of $25 and $2 a day beginning seven days after the Board of Elections notifies a candidate or organization of its failure to file. Candidates file reports quarterly, and more frequently during election years.
The recent activity is the result of new procedures adopted by the elections’ board last summer that established a process whereby candidates could seek a reduction in penalties, giving the board the authority to grant reductions.
Richard Thornton, director of Campaign Finance for the RI Board of Elections, said the board has convened four times since the enactment of the regulations, reducing or eliminating debt for 26 candidates. The board gave the candidates 90 days in which to make their payments, and in some cases granted extensions. Only two paid in full, according to records provided by Thornton.
Reporting on the ageing fines has become a significant issue over the years. Gov. Gina Raimondo had proposed legislation in which candidates would be prevented from running for office if the amount of their fines exceeded a certain level. That bill was never introduced in the legislature.
The Board of Elections has held hearings to consider reducing fines on September 9, October 8, November 4, and January 6. January 6 minutes have not yet been posted. We reviewed the others, and Thornton provided the results of the January 6 hearings.
- James Black, Jr., who ran for North Providence Town Council in 2010. His fines accumulated to $17,984.79. The board reduced the amount to $9,984.79.
- Patrick McDonald’s fines accumulated to $733,978, according to Board of Elections’ meeting minutes. McDonald was on the ballot for State Senator in 2002, the beginning of the Board of Elections online system. Previously, he served on the Narragansett Town Council in 1991 and 1995 and served in the state Senate from 1996 to 2002, according to the board minutes. In 2002 he filed his campaign finance reports, but “did not dissolve his account and never filed his fourth quarter report after the election period.” According to the minutes he failed to file 90 reports. His fine was reduced to $18,825.06.
- Robert Rainville ran for Attorney General in 2010. The minutes said he filed one report late and paid the fine, but following the election failed to provide a final accounting. He failed to file 59 reports, the board said, accumulating fines of $310,077. His fine was reduced to $18,825.06.
- Jeffrey Appiah ran for Pawtucket City Council in 2018 and filed one campaign finance report, late. He paid $25 fine. He failed to file the three remaining reports in 2018, and the account remained open, resulting in 29 past due reports and fines of $72,718. His fine was reduced to $3,000.
- Hipolito Fontes ran for mayor of Central Falls in 2009, and the following year declared for state Senate, subsequently withdrawing from that race. He filed the necessary reports in 2009 but never closed out his report. His fines accumulated to $233,114. Fines were reduced to $5,102.
- Jonathan Joseph Keith ran for Cranston School Committee in 2014 and for state Senate in 2016, 2018, and 2020. He closed his account in 2018, then ran again in 2020, and failed to file reports for that election and according to board minutes are past due on 22 reports. He accumulated fines of $43,508. Fines were reduced to $20,000.
- Emily Trott ran for West Warwick Town Council in 2008, 2010, 2012. Trott did not close out her account and, according to the board, is past due on 51 reports, accruing late filing fees of $235,610. Her fine was reduced to $8,500, which she paid.
- John McMahon ran for Portsmouth Town Council in 2016. According to the board, McMahon has never filed any reports, leaving 40 reports past due and fines and fees of $140,193. His fine was reduced to $6,000.
- David Santilli, Jr. ran for Johnston Town Council in 2018, filing campaign finance reports throughout the third quarter of 2021. Fifteen reports remain past due, the board said, accumulating fines and penalties of $21,532. His fines were reduced to $1,759.25.
- Daryl Gould ran for state Representative in 2016 and 2018, for Bristol School Committee in 2020, and Bristol Town Council in 2022 (but did not qualify). The board said the only reports it received were for the 2016 campaign, leaving him late on filing 40 reports, with accumulated fines and penalties of $134,363. His fines were reduced to $20,141.63.
- Jonathan Keith ran for School Committee in 2014 and state Senate in 2016, 2018, and 2020. According to the board he has never filed any reports, accruing late filing fees of $46,016. His fines were reduced to $2,000, with consideration given to correspondence between Keith and Thornton, and a legal challenge Keith had raised.
- Douglas DeSimone was a candidate for Narragansett Town Council in 2016, self-funding his campaign. He was delinquent, the board said, on 30 campaign finance reports, accumulating fees of $82,398. The board reduced the amount to $1,500 upon Thornton’s recommendation, because he “only ran for office once, he funded his own campaign and provided a complete accounting for his campaign activity.” DeSimone paid the fine.
- David DeAngelis ran for Jamestown Town Council 2005 and 2007. He is delinquent on 52 reports, the board said, accumulating fines of $442,858. Because of previous email communications with the board, the fines were reduced to $2,000.
- John Celona served in the state Senate, representing North Providence, from 1995 to 2004. He served time in both state and federal prison for selling his influence and accepting money under false pretenses. He was also fined $130,000 by the state Ethics Commission. The elections board said he stopped filing campaign reports in 2003. The board said he’s delinquent on 89 reports, with fines and fees accumulating to $670,327. His fines were reduced to $51,204.80.
- Grant Metts ran for Providence City Council in 2014. He is delinquent on 39 reports, according to the board, with fines and fees totaling $80,204. His fines were reduced to $3,878.74.
- Tina Jackson ran for state Representative in 2012. The board said she only filed one report and missed 54 others. Her fines total $257,726. Her fines were reduced to $10,243.40.
- Leonidas Medina ran for state Representative in Providence in 2004, 2010, and 2012. He has 52 delinquent reports, accumulating fines and fees of $249,479. His fines were reduced to $10,150. In 2010 Medina appealed fines of $55,357, which were reduced to $5,000, which he paid. His current fines were reduced to $10,150.
- Michael Rollins of Providence ran for City Council in 2004, state Representative in 2008, School Committee in 2010, and state Senate in 2012. He has 90 delinquent reports with fines and fees of $699,772. His fines were reduced to $13,000.
- Minutes for the January 6 hearings are not yet available, leaving out certain details. But we do have the original debt and reduced debt for each individual.
- Davian Sanchez: Original debt, $195,621; reduced debt, $0. A former Providence City Councilman he paid $5,000 in campaign fines in 2024.
A former Providence City Councilor will pay a $5,000 fine to settle a slew of decade-old campaign finance violations under an agreement approved by the Rhode Island Board of Elections Wednesday. - James Quinlan: Original debt, $330,543; reduced debt, $4,848.31. Quinlan was the Republican candidate for state Representative in District 15 (Cranston) losing to then Speaker of the House Nichols Mattiello.
- Jeffrey Gale: Original debt, $10,342; reduced debt, $4,250. A former Cranston School Committeeman, Gale had once before had his debt reduced by the Board of Elections.
- Jeffrey Lemire: Original debt, $13,880; reduced debt, $1,500. Lamire of Povidence was an independent candidate for Congress in the first Congressional district in 2020.
- Kevin Jackson: Original debt, $15,364; reduced debt, $0.
- Luis Aponte: Original debt, $50,909; reduced debt, $30,542. A former Providence City Councilman, Aponte was convicted in 2019 a felony/embezzlement charge.
- Scott Phillips: Original debt, $9,050; reduced debt, $2,807.
- Timothy Burchett: Original debt, $317,463; reduced debt, $4,250.
- Davian Sanchez: Original debt, $195,621; reduced debt, $0. A former Providence City Councilman he paid $5,000 in campaign fines in 2024.
