Rhode Island Chief Justice to Face Hearing on Ethics Charges

Acting on the advice of a former U.S. Supreme Court justice, a state judicial ethics commission today launched formal proceedings against Rhode Island’s top judge.

The move followed four months of controversy surrounding state Chief Justice Joseph A. Bevilacqua’s acknowledged ties to convicted felons and reputed organized crime figures.

The judge has denied any wrongdoing.

The Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline said it will begin the formal proceedings with a May 21 hearing.

The panel said in a statement that former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg, acting as special prosecutor in the case, had outlined the specific charges against Bevilacqua, 66. Those charges were not disclosed.

Bevilacqua has remained silent on the investigation since December, when the Providence Journal first detailed his continued associations with reputed mobsters and convicted felons.

Bevilacqua was seen in police surveillance photos loading boxes into the trunk of his car at a wholesale food warehouse owned by Bernardino (Dino) Conttenti, convicted of arson-related mail fraud. Bevilacqua said he was picking up groceries.

He was also was seen taking his car to an auto body shop run by mob figures, as well as frequenting a clothing store run by Robert A. Barbato, whose recent loan-sharking charges were dropped in U.S. District Court.