Whistleblower alleges Cardi Corp. broke the Washington Bridge in 2017

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — On May 6th of 2024, a whistleblower filed a Qui Tam lawsuit against Cardi Corp for false claims made while they were working on the Washington Bridge in 2017. Cardi had reportedly just employed the son of then speaker of the house Nick Mattiello. That same year RIDOT allegedly paid Cardi for work they never performed, as outlined by the whistleblower.

During the phase one work on the Washington Bridge, Cardi skipped vital maintenance, that left the bridge in a volatile state, according to the claims. Against the advice of FHWA and AECOM, Cardi left the diaphragms, which are meant to stabilize the bridge, cut out when they had their contract terminated for convenience in 2019, due to the GinaJam traffic debacle. Governor Raimondo and Speaker Mattiello were battling over a budget that year and the job closure could have been retaliatory as the speaker would leave politics shortly after. 

In 2024, Casey Jones, an engineer with a popular YouTube channel, had a satellite radar study performed that appears to show improper movement began in 2017 after Cardi removed the diaphragms, a fact the state was reportedly aware of. The stress from this is believed to have caused abnormal movement that damaged link slabs, rods, and pins. According to the attached Texas DOT study leaving a bridge like this with no diaphragms would increase the stress on the bridge by 50%.

The whistleblower submitted their case to the DOJ before the AG and Governor were made aware of it. The Feds put the whistleblower under a gag order and froze their case allowing RI to sue 13 other companies who worked on the bridge AFTER Cardi. Last week, the whistleblower decided to withdraw the case and plans to refile without the DOJ. Why was the public never made aware of these claims made by this Qui Tam lawsuit? Why was Cardi never pursued? Why were the DOT employees who helped Cardi make false claims not punished?

We will delve deeper into the facts that led up to the bridges closure tomorrow and provide some of these answers. Cardi closed their doors the day before the bridge was closed by RIDOT. Their timely closure allowed them to avoid millions of dollars in lawsuits. Just because a company was sold, does that mean the former owners shouldn’t be held accountable?

Whistleblower alleges Cardi Corp. broke the Washington Bridge in 2017.