SCITUATE, R.I. (WLNE)- Rhode Island State Police announced Tuesday the establishment of a Special Victims Unit.
The unit will be established within the Detective Bureau, and will be responsible for investigating cases that involve child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, child molestation, missing children, sex offender registration violations, commercial sexual exploitation of children, as well as human and labor trafficking.
State Police said detectives in the unit will specialize in investigating “serious violent crimes against children and other vulnerable populations such as individuals with developmental disabilities and the elderly.”
“The Special Victims Unit will aggressively pursue justice on behalf of our most vulnerable victims while being sensitive to the unique needs and dynamics associated with these challenging cases,” said Colonel James M. Manni, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety.
A Virginia truck driver detained by Naval Station Newport Police on April 2, 2021, when a routine background check conducted prior to his being allowed to enter the Navy base determined that he was wanted in Texas for felony assault of a child, appeared today in federal court in Providence on a charge of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.
David Romero Reyes, 50, of Stafford, Virginia, was charged in U.S. District Court in Providence after an FBI and Rhode Island State Police investigation determined that Reyes allegedly had sexual contact in several states with a 15-year-old girl who was discovered in the sleeping compartment of his tractor-trailer by Naval Station Newport Police. The girl was reported missing from her Virginia home in July 2020, when she was 14 years old.
CARES Act fraud investigations in Rhode Island identify twenty-three individuals targeting nearly thirty-one irs.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irs.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The United States Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Rhode Island State Police today publicly updated information on criminal investigations and prosecutions of individuals who are alleged to have targeted and defrauded federally funded programs created to assist businesses and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program and Unemployment Insurance Program.
Since the enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020, a team of federal and state law enforcement personnel led by the Rhode Island State Police and the FBI, along with federal and state prosecutors, have worked together to identify, investigate, charge, and prosecute individuals who knowingly defrauded or attempted to defraud federally funded programs that provide emergency COVID-19 financial assistance to Rhode Islanders and others.
Friday, April 09, 2021
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The United States Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Rhode Island State Police have updated information on criminal investigations and prosecutions of individuals who are alleged to have targeted and defrauded federally funded programs created to assist businesses and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program and Unemployment Insurance Program.
To date, federal charges have been brought against 23 individuals, including 15 this week, for fraudulently applying for aid from CARES Act funded programs. Investigators have identified more than $31 million dollars allegedly targeted by these fraudsters.