R.I. settles with Mass. contractor charged with dumping contaminated fill at Route 6/10 construction site
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'Companies that treat our state as a dumping ground and place the health and welfare of Rhode Islanders at risk, as Barletta has here, must face real consequences for their unlawful conduct,' Neronha said in a statement.
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Of the money received, $10 million will be directed to the Rhode Island Foundation to establish a new fund to provide dental care for children and teens in Providence neighborhoods closest to the site, particularly Olneyville, the West End, and Silver Lake, Neronha said at a press conference.
The attorney general said the idea for the fund came from a desire to have the settlement benefit residents most impacted by dust kicked up around the construction site.
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After some families in the area hired legal counsel and opted not to be part of the settlement, Neronha said he was inspired to put the money toward improving adolescent dental health upon reading a
In 2024, one in four Providence elementary and middle school students had unmet dental care needs, Neronha said Wednesday.
Dr. Fotini M. Dionisopoulos, president of the Rhode Island Dental Association, said in a statement dentists have 'raised the alarm' about the growing oral health crisis facing the city's children.
'By investing these funds in pediatric dental care, we have the opportunity to change the trajectory of this crisis and bring lasting relief to families who have waited far too long for meaningful support,' Dionisopoulos said.
Neronha told reporters that he hopes this $10 million investment is just the start.
'We'll figure out a way to keep this going,' he said. 'I want every kid to have a smile they're proud of.'
Of the remaining $1 million, $750,000 will be used to cover investigation and prosecution expenses for Neronha's office, and $250,000 will cover investigation costs for the state Department of Environmental Management, according to officials.
Under the terms of the settlement, prosecutors have also dropped three criminal charges filed against
Ferreira, who provided a false environmental testing report to the state, pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of giving a false document to an agent, employee, or public official in Providence Superior Court on Wednesday.
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A plea of nolo contendere means the defendant neither accepts nor denies responsibility for the charges, but agrees to accept punishment.
The dismissed charges included two counts of disposing of refuse somewhere other than a licensed facility, and operating a solid waste management facility without a license.
Judge Maureen B. Keough sentenced Ferreira, 67, of Holliston, Mass., to a one-year suspended prison sentence and one year of probation, records show.
In a statement, Barletta said it is 'looking forward to putting the 6/10 matter behind us, getting back to competitively bidding without restriction, and continuing to do what
we do best – successfully and responsibly delivering world-class infrastructure projects.'
'This settlement reflects a business decision that is the result of protracted delays in the litigations towards reaching a resolution, combined with the fact that even with what Barletta is sure would have been a positive result at trial, could have and likely would have resulted in appeals by the State and even more prolonged litigation, further continuing the [crippling] effect of this filing on Barletta's continued operation,' the company said. 'Barletta is and has been a responsible contractor in Rhode Island and elsewhere, and of particular note is the fact that there has been no previous, nor even any subsequent, allegations of any such conduct or violations in Barletta's history, including in the five years since these allegations.'
State prosecutors first
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The company reached a non-prosecution agreement with federal authorities, through which it was ordered to pay a $500,000 criminal fine. Barletta also settled under the federal False Claims Act for $1 million.
Barletta noted on Wednesday the latest settlement 'and the facts admitted … are entirely consistent with the facts previously agreed to in the Federal Non-Prosecution Agreement entered into with the US [Department of Justice] in October of 2022.'
The fill in question has since remained at the site: Officials have previously said experts determined trying to dig up and remove it would pose more of a public health risk than leaving it where it is – a point Neronha re-iterated on Wednesday.
'We kind of are where we are,' he said.
Work is still underway on the $410 million Route 6/10 project, which involves building nine bridges, including two new ones, according to the state's
Material from a previous Globe story was used in this report.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
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