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The First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's denial of Jerry Omar Rodríguez-Reyes's motion to reduce his life sentence under the First Step Act. The appeals court found the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying sentence reduction despite Rodríguez's arguments about eligibility. The decision involved consideration of 18 USC §3553(a) sentencing factors.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Puerto Rico's broad discharge and injunction under PROMESA does not apply to claims against Commonwealth officers or employees in their personal capacities. The decision clarifies that personal-capacity claims are not subject to injunctions impeding prosecution following confirmation of Puerto Rico's Plan of Adjustment.
The Rhode Island General Assembly gave final approval on June 11 to legislation requiring the state Department of Transportation to make traffic crash data public. Bills sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Kislak and Sen. Meghan Kallman close a loophole RIDOT has used to deny advocates' records requests. Forty-two states and Washington DC already provide public crash data dashboards. The legislation received unanimous House approval and now heads to Governor McKee.
A court-appointed special counsel determined that Assistant US Attorney Kevin Bolan violated professional conduct when he followed ICE instruction not to inform Judge Melissa R. DuBose that detainee Bryan Rafael Gómez was wanted on a homicide warrant in the Dominican Republic. Chief Judge McConnell issued a cautionary letter stating the omission was equivalent to making a false statement to the court, though formal disciplinary proceedings were deemed unnecessary.
Joseph Molina Flynn, a disbarred immigration lawyer and former Central Falls municipal judge, agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion in US District Court. Flynn faces charges stemming from allegations he defrauded clients of up to $150,000 and evaded between $550,000 and $1.5 million in taxes. Under the plea agreement, he will pay $83,265 in restitution to victims and at least $550,000 to the US Treasury, with his East Greenwich home sold under forfeiture.
The city of Providence filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in US District Court accusing three major fire truck manufacturers and a trade organization of doubling or tripling equipment costs through an 'anticompetitive scheme.' The suit claims industry consolidation has left the city paying $2 million for a 2023 aerial ladder truck—nearly double the $1.3 million paid in 2020—and waiting years for delivery. The case is part of a national crisis in fire apparatus manufacturing.
Frank Joseph Thies, 70, of Indiana was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the ACI after a December conviction for first-degree child molestation and first-degree sexual assault in a 1987 cold case. Thies sexually assaulted two juvenile female victims at knifepoint in woods in Exeter on April 12, 1987. Attorney General Peter Neronha credited genetic genealogy advancements for finally enabling justice in the case.
USCIS announced on June 15 that it would comply with US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr.'s order striking down immigration hold policies, resuming adjudication of asylum applications, work permits, and naturalization ceremonies for affected nationals. The agency posted an alert stating it "strongly disagrees" but will follow the court's terms pending further review. USCIS filed an appeal to the First Circuit the same day it announced compliance.
Former Providence immigration lawyer and Central Falls municipal judge Joseph Molina Flynn agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion charges, according to documents filed in federal court June 15. Prosecutors allege Molina Flynn collected money from clients for immigration services he did not provide and misappropriated at least $98,000 in client funds. The plea agreement calls for at least $83,265 in restitution to victims and $550,000 to the federal government.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court vacated a summary judgment granted to American Express National Bank in a credit card debt collection case. Justice William P. Robinson III ruled the trial judge erred by relying on a supporting affidavit the bank submitted the morning of the hearing, rather than with its motion three months earlier. The court found this violated Rule 6 of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure and criticized the bank's "fast-and-loose" conduct.
Bristol town officials objected to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority's second request for more time to respond to a federal lawsuit over a Mount Hope Bridge inspection report. RITBA cited an ongoing TSA review of the "sensitive security information" designation, but Bristol countered that the agency has claimed such a review was underway since June 2025. The dispute centers on whether RITBA violated Rhode Island's public records law by refusing to release the full inspection report.
