Lawsuit Alleges North Providence Mayor Use Town Employee For Beach House and Business Projects at Taxpayers Expense

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A newly filed lawsuit alleges two top officials in North Providence directed a municipal employee to perform work on private properties using town resources and during work hours.

The complaint, filed Tuesday in state court by former town employee Michael Charbatji, accuses Mayor Charles Lombardi and Public Buildings Director James Fuoroli of instructing him to complete renovation and maintenance tasks at multiple residential and commercial properties owned by the two officials over a period of several years.

Charbatji, who began working for the Department of Public Buildings in 2017, claims the assignments were carried out during his scheduled town shifts and involved the use of municipal vehicles, town-purchased materials, and a town-issued Lowe’s credit card.

The properties named in the lawsuit include a summer home and rental property in Narragansett, two commercial locations tied to Lombardi’s dry cleaning business, Luxury Cleaners, in North Providence and Lincoln, and a separate property belonging to Fuoroli.

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The filing describes a pattern in which town resources were allegedly diverted for personal benefit, including materials purchased with the town credit card and transported to job sites outside of official municipal responsibilities. The lawsuit also claims that timesheets were manipulated to conceal the private work conducted during town hours.

Charbatji says he experienced stress and concern over the work assignments and eventually planned to report the conduct to the town’s human resources department. However, he went on medical leave in 2022 and was later terminated. The complaint states that a police officer delivered his termination notice to his residence.

The town has hired outside legal counsel in response to the complaint. The lawsuit comes months after a legal demand letter was sent to the town’s finance department and City Council president in December, raising similar allegations.

No court date has been scheduled yet.

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