‘Scoundrel’ Gallison sentenced to more than 4 years in prison

The former state representative pleaded guilty to nine felony charges

EastBayRI.com ·

Raymond Gallison will spend the next four years and three months in federal prison after Judge William Smith issued his sentence in Providence federal court Friday afternoon.

He was ordered to report to begin his term on July 10. After his term, Mr. Gallison will be subject to three years of supervised parole after his release.

“As a public official, you have done a lot of good, but on the flip side, you have also done a lot of harm,” Judge Smith said. “I have to consider what this offense does to the reputation of the general Assembly, the reputation of the Bar, and the reputation of the state. This sentence will send a message to other people acting in a fiduciary capacity that the role is extremely important, and if that trust is violated, the punishment can be severe.”

Mr. Gallison pleaded guilty in March to nine felony charges, the result of a months-long investigation into the illegal acts of the former House Finance Committee chairman. Charges include 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.

Mr. Gallison apologized for his crimes before Judge Smith delivered the sentence.

“Thank you for the opportunity to express how sorry I am,” Mr. Gallison said. “I want to apologize to the victims, to my family and to all those individuals I have let down.”

Earlier Friday, federal prosecutor William Ferland urged Judge Smith to hand down a harsh punishment that would serve as a deterrent for other attorneys and public officials who may consider engaging in similar corrupt behavior. He noted that while Mr. Gallison’s crimes did not amount to public corruption, he used his position as a state legislator the shield himself from suspicion and help him successful steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“He betrayed the trust of a friend who looked to him to administer his wishes after his death,” Mr. Ferland said, noting that while his crimes were not public corruption . “He betrayed the trust of the probate court. He betrayed the trust of an elderly woman. He is far and away not the model citizen he would like the court to believe. He engaged in dishonest, unscrupulous behavior. Despite his lack of a record and his letters of support, the defendant is a scoundrel.”

At a hearing in March, federal prosecutor Dulce Donovan laid out the case against him when he was arraigned in January and again when he pleaded guilty in March. Mr. Gallison stole a total of $677,957 from the estate of Barrington resident Ray Medley, who died in 2012 and assigned Mr. Gallison to execute his estate, and another disabled person for whom he served as trustee.

"The defendant began looting assets large and small," Ms. Donovan said. "The defendant began helping himself to the dividends and ultimately the stocks themselves."

Mr. Gallison also used Mr. Medley's credit card to buy personal items, transferred money into his own personal account, sold personal items to a Fall River pawn shop, sold a car to a "family member" and kept the money.

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

In addition to his prison sentence, Mr. Gallison was ordered to make full restitution to the estate, much of which was intended for non-profit organizations in Warren and Barrington.
Attorney Anthony Traini pointed to the restitution his client made and Mr. Gallison’s cooperation with the investigation in justifying his request to limit the sentence to three years. The government had reportedly requested a five-year term.

Raymond Gallison