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By PHILIP MARCELODecember 16, 2020 GMT
A former campaign aide to Democratic Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has been cleared of criminal charges stemming from the 2016 campaign.
Jeff Britt, 52, was found not guilty Wednesday of felony money laundering as well as a misdemeanor charge of making a prohibited campaign contribution.
The verdict in the bench trial was handed down by Judge Daniel Procaccini in Kent County Superior Court in Warwick.
Procaccini said in his decision that prosecutors had failed to sufficiently prove Britt was guilty of either charge beyond a reasonable doubt. He also criticized the state’s money laundering statute in his remarks in court, calling it “constitutionally deficient.”
Britt, former operative for Speaker Mattiello, found not guilty in high-profile case Published Wed Dec 16 2020 15:56:46 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Ian Donnis
Jeff Britt, a well-known Rhode Island political operative, was found not guilty Wednesday of two charges related to outgoing House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello’s 2016 campaign, including a felony count of money laundering.
In a brief hearing in Kent County Superior Court, Judge Daniel Procaccini called Rhode Island’s money-laundering law constitutionally deficient and he said prosecution witnesses lacked credibility.
With Britt appearing via video link from Florida, the judge summarized what he said were his three conclusions in the case.