Wallin Soft on Illegal Immigration?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Republican Erik Wallin promises to be a tough enforcer of the law if he is elected Attorney General—but a GoLocalProv review of court records show that he let a DMV clerk who sold fake driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants avoid state prison.
Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme, a Democratic political activist and unsuccessful candidate for Providence City Council, was accused of selling as many as 28 fraudulent driver’s licenses. As a prosecutor in the Attorney General’s office, Wallin charged her with 19 counts of identity fraud and 14 counts of felony conspiracy in January 2008.
In one of his campaign ads, Wallin proclaims that as Attorney General everyone from sex offenders to corrupt politicians will “be behind bars.” The ad concludes: “Political insiders and criminals will now have an Attorney General to fear.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHowever, in the LaFlamme case, all but one of the charges were dismissed and she served no time in state prison on the last remaining charge of felony conspiracy, according to court records obtained by GoLocalProv. (LaFlamme pled no contest on that charge in April 2010.)
‘A slap on the wrist’
The case was a missed opportunity to make a statement on crime and corruption, according to Bob Craven, who served as an Assistant Attorney General from 1983 to 1993 and was chief of the public corruption unit for the last three of those years. “This is one case where a clear message had to be sent and I don’t think one was,” Craven told GoLocalProv.
Democratic opponent Peter Kilmartin accused Wallin of dropping the ball. “Erik Wallin is all talk and no action,” said Kilmartin spokesman Brett Broesder. “As the lead prosecutor, Wallin let an air-tight case against several corrupt government employees, who sold fake driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and criminals, result in little more than a slap on the wrist and no jail time.”
Wallin pointed out that LaFlamme was convicted of selling fraudulent licenses in federal court and sentenced to three years in federal prison. He said there was no need for more time in state prison. “You don’t do it,” he said. “There’s not a need for it because the person has already been held accountable for the crime.”
‘A softer, easier way’
Craven disagreed. “It was a softer, easier way to handle the case,” Craven said.
He pointed to the case of former state Senator John Celona, who in 2007 was sentenced to one and a half years in state prison—in addition to his time in federal prison—for using his office for personal gain.
Craven noted that the next Attorney General might have to oversee a new investigation into the corruption case at the state landfill. “Is he going to approach the landfill case the same way he approached the LaFlamme case?” Craven told GoLocalProv. “Is he going to let the feds handle that one?”
Wallin said the state had to refer the LaFlamme case to federal court to stop her from being deported. While her case was tried in federal court, the state case was put on hold, according to state court records. By the time the federal trial was over, Wallin had left the Attorney General’s office. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General from August 2003 to July 2008.
But Wallin could have done more before he left, according to Craven. He said Wallin had the legal power to force LaFlamme to stand trial in state court while she was in federal custody.
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