Gallison expected to plead guilty March 9

Former state Rep. Raymond Gallison is expected to plead guilty to nine felony counts on March 9, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The former Bristol legislator and House Finance Committee chairman is scheduled to plead before Chief Judge William Smith at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Match 9, US Attorney Peter Neronha’s office announced. He was arraigned on the nine felony counts before Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan on Jan. 27.

The disgraced former legislator who abruptly resigned his seat in the General Assembly amid state and federal investigations last May is charged with aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, wire fraud (four counts) and federal tax violations (three counts) for under-reporting his income and assisting with the filing of a false tax document. U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha and RI Attorney General Peter Kilmartin announced the charges during a press conference Jan. 23.

After the 20-minute arraignment during which Mr. Gallison said little, Judge Sullivan released him on $50,000 bond, required him to surrender his passport and barred him from travel outside Rhode Island or Massachusetts.
Mr. Gallison allegedly stole money from the estate of Ray Medley, a Barrington man who died in 2012 and had named Mr. Gallison executor of his will. Much of the money was supposed to be disbursed among a handful of non-profit organizations. Instead, much of it went into Mr. Gallison’s own account, according to the charges against him.

The U.S. attorney also said Gallison used Medley's credit card to buy personal items, transferred money into his own personal account, sold items to a Fall River pawn shop, sold a car to a "family member" and kept the money, stole car and home insurance dividend checks, and stole dividends on stocks totaling more than $116,000.

He also allegedly filed false tax returns that failed to account for his ill-gotten gains, and assisted an associate in doing the same.

Mr. Gallison is facing a minimum of two years in federal prison on the aggravated identity theft charge. Mr. Neronha and RI Attorney General Peter Kilmartin have both said they will encourage the court to sentence him to a longer term for the remaining eight charges.

In addition to a prison term, Mr. Gallison will be ordered to make full restitution of about $670,000, much of which was recovered when he delivered about $500,000 worth of stocks and bonds he was holding to Warren attorney Tucker Wright, who now represents Mr. Medley's estate. Another $100,000 of restitution will be due at the time of Mr. Gallison's sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled. Payment arrangements will be made for the remaining $60,000.