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Ascencao charged with embezzlement

Charges come seven months after arraignment in district court

By Ted Hayes
Posted 4/28/20

Disgraced would-be legislator Laufton Ascencao has officially been charged with embezzlement, seven months after he was arraigned on the charge in Sixth Division District Court in Providence.

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Ascencao charged with embezzlement

Charges come seven months after arraignment in district court

Posted

Disgraced would-be legislator Laufton Ascencao has officially been charged with embezzlement, seven months after he was arraigned on the charge in Sixth Division District Court in Providence.

In a press release Monday evening, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha wrote that a criminal information complaint was filed in Providence County Superior Court on April 16, alleging that Mr. Ascencao diverted $16,379 from the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club, and also failed to report campaign expenditures on campaign finance filings and failing to appoint a treasurer to certify his campaign filings in 2017 and 2018. Mr. Ascencao allegedly used those funds to pay for expenses during his 2018 campaign for state representative of House District 68, which includes portions of Bristol and Warren. He won that race, but about a month after the November election stepped down after members of the Warren Democratic Town Committee went public with concerns they had over his financial filings.

The court action filed earlier this month further alleges four new campaign finance violations. Three alleged violations are based on Mr. Ascencao's alleged failure to report expenditures on his campaign finance filing with the Rhode Island Board of Elections, which total approximately $3,357 and consist of payments to his campaign manager and a purchase of campaign palm cards. By not reporting these expenditures, prosecutors allege that Mr. Ascencao intended to hide the fact that the funds came from the checking account of the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The filings also allege that Mr. Ascencao failed to appoint a campaign treasurer other than himself, as is required by state law, to certify his campaign finance filings associated with his 2018 campaign.

Mr. Ascencao is scheduled to be arraigned in Providence County Superior Court on July 15, 2020.

The case was investigated by the Office of Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Morin of the Office's Public Integrity Unit.

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