Rhode Island NAACP President Convicted of Campaign Finance Violations
Gerard Catala faces potential expungement of his conviction if he avoids further legal trouble for a year, following his failure to comply with campaign finance laws during his 2022 City Council run.
- Gerard Catala, President of the Providence NAACP, was convicted for failing to file required campaign finance reports in his 2022 City Council campaign.
- Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha led the prosecution at the request of the Board of Elections, citing repeated violations of campaign finance laws.
- Catala has been sentenced to 20 hours of community service and has the opportunity for expungement of the conviction after one year without legal issues.
- The conviction stems from an audit covering January 2018 through June 2021, which highlighted multiple violations including failure to file reports and maintain accurate records.
- Catala, who has appealed the conviction, previously faced legal issues but had an assault charge dismissed in August 2023.
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Associated Press 