Johnston man accused of poisoning coworker out on bond despite gun charges

JOHNSTON, R.I. — A U.S. District Court judge is allowing a man accused of poisoning a coworker out on bond despite by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleging he violated the terms of his release from a prior arrest.

Alessio D’Andrea, 29, was charged by North Providence police last month with felony poisoning. Authorities say he admitted to leaving a sports drink bottle filled with windshield washer fluid in a shared refrigerator, intending to harm a fellow town employee.

At the time of the alleged poisoning incident, D’Andrea was already out on bond stemming from a 2023 federal weapons arrest. According to court records, after the 2023 arrest he was released on a $10,000 bond under the condition that he not violate any federal, state or local laws.

Prosecutors argued that the new poisoning charge violated those terms and pushed to have D’Andrea detained, but Judge Patricia A. Sullivan instead allowed him to remain free.

D’Andrea has been on unpaid leave from the North Providence Department of Public Works since July 2.

North Providence HR Director Joshua Hernandez said a background check was never conducted on D’Andrea, an oversight that would have revealed the pending federal case.

D’Andrea was arrested last July after federal agents and Johnston police raided his Johnston home. The U.S. Attorney’s Office say 27 firearms were seized, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns, along with two unregistered silencers and an illegal AR-15 “lightning link” device capable of converting a semiautomatic rifle into a fully automatic weapon.

He was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm silencer and unlicensed importation of a machine gun. D’Andrea has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His next court appearance is October 29 for the alleged poisoning of his coworker is October 29.

Judge Sullivan, who issued Tuesday’s ruling, previously announced she plans to retire in October of 2026.