RI AG Neronha accused of lying in recent interview

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In a recent interview, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha made statements about the Barletta Heavy Division lawsuit 6/10 that appear to contradict documented evidence. Neronha stated Barletta only offered to pay $10 million to settle in 2024, but documents state that offer was actually made in 2022.

Back in 2022, under the Biden administration, the Rhode Island Foundation was receiving and distributing more than $80 million in federal funds each year to non-profits. In addition under certain circumstances the AG can direct monetary penalties to the Rhode Island Foundation. However, with all the funding the RI Foundation was already receiving, the AG’s office had little reason to settle for Barletta’s $10 million offer when they believed they could extract more.

In early 2025, when federal funding slowed under the Trump administration, Neronha quickly decided to revisit Barletta’s 2022 settlement offer, as money to the RI Foundation was running dry.

By spring 2024, the $10 million offer was still on the table, but negotiations stalled over contract language. E-mails from May 2024, posted here, show Barletta never withdrew the 2022 offer. This contradicts Neronha’s statements accusing Barletta of withdrawing the offer. Instead, the AG’s office sought to doctor the agreement by removing “solid waste” and “contamination” from the three-year-old settlement document. These changes allowed for the funds to go to the Rhode Island Foundation and not the tax payers.

In May 2025, the case finally settled for the exact same amount and language Barletta had proposed nearly three years earlier. After years of costly litigation, taxpayers will not see any of the money. Despite this, Neronha continues to promote a version of events that omits and distorts these facts, similar to his treatment of the LIO case and Governor McKee.

As Neronha himself has said: “Rhode Islanders should never back down from bullies.” The question now is who is the real bully, and who is trying to control the narrative for financial and political gain?

RI AG Neronha accused of lying in recent interview