Providence City Council Majority Leader Kevin Jackson arrested

KEVIN JACKSON, City Council majority leader, has been arrested and will be arraigned this afternoon on charges relating to alleged misuse of his campaign contributions. / COURTESY CITY OF PROVIDENCE
KEVIN JACKSON, City Council majority leader, has been arrested and will be arraigned this afternoon on charges relating to alleged misuse of his campaign contributions. / COURTESY CITY OF PROVIDENCE

(Updated 2:42 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – City Council Majority Leader Kevin Jackson has been arrested and will be arraigned this afternoon for allegedly misappropriating $12,000 in campaign contributions and embezzling $127,000 from the Providence Cobras, a youth track and field organization that he founded.
Amy Kempe, spokeswoman for Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, said Jackson, 57, is being charged with two felonies, unlawful appropriation and embezzlement/unlawful appropriation, and two misdemeanors, filing a false document with a public official and personal use of campaign funds.
According to Kempe, Jackson used his campaign contributions for personal expenses from his “Friends of Kevin Jackson” account from November 2014 through May 2015, resulting in charges of unlawful appropriation and personal use of campaign funds, and misused contributions to the Providence Cobras Youth Track and Field account, resulting in the embezzlement/unlawful appropriation charge.
Jackson also was charged with the misdemeanor, filing a false document, for stating he had zero campaign contributions in 2010 when the Campaign Finance Electronic Reporting & Tracking System showed otherwise, according to Kempe.
She said he will be arraigned at about 2 p.m. in District Court.
WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported that Rhode Island State Police Maj. Joseph Philbin said Jackson was arrested Wednesday morning without incident down the street from City Hall.

A Rhode Island state police press release said that members of the financial-crimes unit arrested Jackson.

The press release said the financial crimes unit began investigating after the Attorney General’s Office received results of an audit of Jackson’s campaign finance reports conducted by the R.I. Board of Elections.

The investigation showed that Jackson allegedly spent $12,074.06 in campaign funds on what appears to be personal expenses including apparel, health care expenses, cash withdrawals and a $4,000 withdrawal used to pay a fine imposed by the state Board of Elections. A review of Jackson’s campaign reports compared with his campaign finance bank account statements also revealed an underreporting of contributions and a failure to accurately report expenditures, state police said.

- Advertisement -

Investigators also observed numerous campaign-related expenses deducted from the bank account of the Providence Cobras, which has been heavily funded by grants awarded by the city of Providence.
Jackson, who oversaw finances for the organization, was the sole debit card holder for the Cobras’ account. Cobras bank records revealed Jackson allegedly embezzled approximately $127,153 from the Cobras since 2009 in the form of various cash withdrawals and personal expenses, state police said.

According to information on the Providence City Council’s website, Jackson was elected to the Providence City Council in 1995, and was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. Jackson, a Democrat, represents Ward 3, which includes the Hope and Mount Hope neighborhoods.
Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza released a statement saying: “Details are still emerging, but ensuring integrity and accountability is essential for moving Providence forward. As elected officials, we should be held to a higher standard and any violation of that trust is unacceptable.”
According to state police, if Jackson is convicted of the felonies, he could face a fine up to $50,000, or three times the value of the money or property thus appropriated, whichever is greater, or imprisonment up to 20 years, or both.

No posts to display