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EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) � The R.I. State Police have joined the investigation examining forged signatures filed by the Sabina Matos
campaign, as the ongoing scandal has affected a growing number of Rhode Islanders including the entire East Providence City Council.

State Police Col. Darnell Weaver on Thursday told Target 12 the agency is
now involved in the widening criminal probe looking at forged signatures
found on nomination papers submitted on behalf of Matos across multiple communities.

The lieutenant governor is one of 12 Democrats competing to replace former Congressman David Cicilline, who stepped down earlier this year to lead
the Rhode Island Foundation, and had been viewed as the frontrunner
heading into the summer.

Matos so far has refused multiple requests for interviews, deciding
instead to communicate publicly through a series of prepared statements. Campaign manager Brexton Isaacs said Thursday the campaign is
�disappointed and angry to learn of reports that inaccurate signatures
were submitted to the campaign.�

But he remained steadfast in insisting the problem wouldn�t prevent Matos
from getting her name on the Sept. 5 primary ballot. The R.I. Board of Elections is supposed to decide on the matter at a 2 p.m. meeting on
Friday.

�Any insinuation that our campaign in any way encouraged this is simply
false and contradictory to the facts,� Isaacs said in a statement.

The state police have begun investigating at the same time R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha told Target 12 his office will examine Matos
nomination papers submitted in all 19 municipalities that make up the 1st Congressional District.

Jamestown and Newport election officials have already referred allegations
of forged documents to law enforcement. East Providence Captain Mike
Rapoza said Thursday they had also received a complaint from the city Canvassing Authority and had referred it to the attorney general.

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Meanwhile, Target 12 has interviewed more people who said they are victims
of fraudulent signatures in Barrington and East Providence, including all
five city councilors in the latter community. The local election officials
in East Providence rejected the names for having mismatched signatures.

�It�s not my signature, my name is spelled wrong and the street address
makes no sense,� Council President Bob Rodericks told Target 12 on
Thursday. �This is a foolish thing that�s so unnecessary.�

Vice President Frank Rego echoed Rodericks, saying the issue is
particularly bothersome to him given his 13 years serving on the R.I.
Board of Elections, including two years as chairman, between 2003 and
2016.

�It�s not even close to mine,� Rego said after seeing his purported
signature. �I don�t take this matter lightly.�

Council members Anna Sousa, Frank Fogarty and Rick Lawson � whose names
were all listed alongside Rodericks and Rego � each said they also didn�t
sign the nomination papers in question.

�I didn�t sign any papers,� said Fogarty. His and Lawson�s home addresses
are listed at City Hall.

East Providence School Committee member Ryan Queenan�s name and purported signature was listed below the councilors� names. His home address is
listed at the East Providence High School baseball field. He did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The signature scandal engulfing the Matos campaign has focused so far on
one campaign worker, Holly McClaren, who was responsible for collecting
many of the signatures under scrutiny.

But the East Providence nomination papers were submitted by a different campaign worker named Shanna Gallagher. Contacted by phone Thursday
afternoon, Gallagher hung up after Target 12 asked her about the Matos campaign.

�Sorry, I cannot comment on this,� she said before hanging up. �Thank you
for the phone call.�

McClaren has not responded to multiple requests for comment and she did
not come to the door Wednesday when a reporter visited her home near the
State House in Providence.

But McClaren is no stranger to Rhode Island politics, having appeared in a memorable Gov. Dan McKee campaign ad attacking Republican opponent Ashley
Kalus last year.

�I can�t vote for Ashley Kalus,� McClaren said in the ad.

The scandal has drawn criticism from Matos� political rivals, including Democrat Gabe Amo, who said he was �shocked by the absolute refusal of Lieutenant Governor Matos to explain these instances of election fraud committed on behalf of her campaign to concerned Rhode Islanders.� He also challenged the Matos campaign position that they will have enough
signatures to make the ballot.

To qualify, candidates must collect 500 signatures. As of Wednesday, Matos
had more than 700 validated signatures, although that number could shrink
if election officials determine some are invalidated.

�We need to get to the bottom of this by hearing from the lieutenant
governor and allowing law enforcement do their jobs,� Amo said. �Rhode Islanders are demanding answers.�

The criticism was echoed by Democratic candidate Aaron Regunberg, who said
the Matos campaign has �deflected responsibility and fallen back again and again on an insistence that they�ll make the ballot.�

�But the reality is that the lieutenant governor has taken actions that � whether they were purposeful or the result of a serious lack of oversight
and judgment � have undermined faith in our democratic processes at a time
when standing up for fair elections has never been more important,�
Regunberg said in a statement.

�I think she owes Rhode Islanders an apology, a transparent explanation of
how this happened, and a clear plan for how her campaign will make sure
that it does not continue undermining our democratic norms and principles moving forward,� he added.

Democratic candidate Donald Carlson, meanwhile, filed an official
complaint with state election officials, challenging Matos� nomination.
The RI Working Families Party, which has endorsed Regunberg, filed a
similar challenge.

Isaacs said the Matos campaign had done a preliminary review and
determined most of the 728 signatures they collected had been validated, arguing legal precedent �makes it clear that signatures authentically
submitted and validated will be counted.�

�During her 12 years in office, Sabina has a proven track record of
integrity and has the support necessary to win,� Isaacs said in the
statement. �The campaign is proud of the strong support we have received
over the last four months and we look forward to electing the first Afro- Latina in the nation to Congress.�

The issue of fake signatures showing up in nomination papers has also
raised questions about the integrity of the state�s election system. R.I. Secretary of State Gregg Amore said Thursday the vetting system to ensure signatures are valid is largely working in Rhode Island, despite the fact
that many names were accepted even though people later said they were
fake.

�By and large the system responded in this case,� he said. �Would I say everything worked perfectly? No.�

Eli Sherman ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for
12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with
him on Twitter and Facebook.

https://www.wpri.com/target-12/matos-signature-scandal-hits-entire-ep- city-council-ri-state-police-join-probe/

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