Overview

• 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.