Barletta Heavy Division has agreed to pay an amount of $ 11 million to resolve a civilian case that involves an illegal discharge of tons of toxic filling during the construction of a providence, Ri, a motorway connector project and was in this regard, announced the Attorney General of Rhode Island on May 21.
In the case of the largest Rhode Island Design Design Project, he has been persistent in the State Supreme Court since 2023, but will now be dismissed with the settlement and payment of Barletta received by the State, said the Attorney General of the State Peter Neronha during a press conference.
“If Barletta learns of this experience, it still has to be seen,” Neronha said about the firm’s activities on the connecting construction project of $ 610 million 6/10. “But [itt] He paid a heavy price for illegal, irresponsible and misleading behavior, and deserving. “”
While the settlement dismisses all criminal and civilian loads against Barletta, the signature admitted to all behaviors alleged in the civil complaint according to the terms of Settlement, according to the Attorney General press release announcing the agreement, “Specifically, the state claimed that the defendants authorized the disposition of more than 4,500 tons of stone and soil contaminated on the route of the 6/10 exchange construction project.”
Barletta said in a statement that he is “pleased to put this topic behind and hopes to continue our long history of successfully delivering the world -class public class infrastructure projects.”
Dennis Ferreira, a former Barletta Superintendent who led the 6/10 Connector Project, was suspended by the United States Department of Transportation by 2023 to participate in all programs and projects with federal funding for its illegal contaminated land discharge.
Was found guilty of federal burdens by 2022 and was convicted in 2023 a One year of probation and ordered to pay a $ 40,000 fine for three counts of false statements in connection with a federally funded motorway project. He had faced up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 750,000.
In 2023, Barletta declared himself guilty of state burdens, arguing that Ferreira acted independently without his consent. But Neronha said the firm had a legal obligation to bring only the filling department approved by environmental management.
“They knew this was their obligation,” he said, “but they ignored it for their convenience, if they were nothing, and when they faced dowry and DEM, they lied.”
After Barletta agreed to pay a million dollars by 2023 to resolve federal investigation on his false reports to state and federal transport agencies, Neronha’s team was ready to present criminal burdens, but had no evidence to collect corporate officials, said AG and, therefore, wanted to make the civil case as shocking as possible.
“I thought about having [the settlement] Average something, ten times what the federal government had recovered would be a good place to start, “said Neronha, who added that the penalty would have been $ 15 million if the case had passed to criminal trial.
A million dollars, less of the settlement, goes to a fund established to help improve the dental and physical health of children who live near the 6/10 exchange. The rest will cover the legal fees accumulated by the AG office and the State Department of Environmental Management.
