The key document of the federal whistleblower complaint filed by James White, President of Local 57 of the International Union of Operating Engineers against Barletta Heavy Division, has now been secured by GoLocalProv.
The claim was under court-ordered seal for approximately two years.
White’s lawsuit constitutes a federal civil action. GoLocal was first to unveil the 6/10 contamination in the Olneyville neighborhood in September 2020.
The contamination took place under the oversight of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, and its Director, Peter Alviti, repeatedly lied in statements to the media that there was no contamination.
The federal settlement with Barletta was then first reported by GoLocal in October. The documents unveiled today outline the $1 million civil action of a total $1.5 million in penalties.
In addition, Barletta supervisor Dennis Ferreira has agreed to plea to three counts. Count I is that Ferreira made false statements to the government on the quality of work done; Count II is that Ferreira made false statements that work was completed and Count III is about the character and quality of the work performed. He was in federal court for an arraignment on October 31.
In addition, Rhode Island Attorney General is poised to take action with state charges against Barletta. The investigation has been going on for more than two years.
Settlement Agreement Unsealed
White’s whistleblower action was a "qui tam" action.
“In a qui tam action, a...
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