Former Assistant Attorney General Hired by GoLocal to Secure Release of 38 Studios Documents

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Saturday, August 06, 2016

Kate Nagle, GoLocal News Editor

GoLocalProv.com has tapped former Assistant Attorney General Tom Dickinson to pursue the release of the documents relating to the 38 Studios criminal investigation. Dickinson served as the number two position at the Attorney General's office under the tenure of AG Jeff Pine.

"The public interest is here is a totally different dimension [than other cases]. Millions of taxpayer dollars, questions of how a public process involving two branches of government functions -- and we've got an investigative undertaking of so much public interest that it consumed an hour of news conference time. If the [Attorney General and State Police] didn't think it's of public interest, they wouldn't have opened the door,” said Dickinson.

Last Friday, RI Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and RI State Police Colonel Steven O’Donnell announced that they had been unable to bring any charges against any individual or business entity after a four-year investigation of the state's loss of $75 million in the failed investment in the gaming company founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

Kilmartin said that more than 100 individuals were interviewed in the investigation, but refused to identify any of the individuals and announced he would not release any documents relating to the investigation. 

To date, nearly thirty leading elected officials and civic organizations have called on the Attorney General to release the records of the investigation. On Thursday, Mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick and Allan Fung of Cranston joined the chorus of voices in the state calling for transparency. 

SEE RI LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS REQUESTING RELEASE OF THE RECORDS

"The collapse of 38 Studios will burden the taxpayers of Rhode Island with millions of dollars of debt for years to come and has brought about another cycle of enormous cynicism in the state,” said the Mayors in a joint statement emailed to GoLocal. “After a four-year investigation, taxpayers of Rhode Island deserve to have a clear picture of how the state ended up on the hook for the debts of 38 Studios - and who is ultimately responsible for the costs related to this failed business venture. As we learned this week, although the investigation remains open, it is now inactive. We echo the calls of numerous public officials demanding that the Attorney General release all documents and related information pertaining to the investigation so taxpayers may have a clear and more complete story."

On Friday afternoon, Dickinson on behalf of GoLocal filed a detailed Access to Public Records Act request.

Kilmartin’s Explanation

“As was stated in last week's joint 38 Studios report, this remains an open, albeit currently inactive investigation.  Release of documents could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation should new information come to light that would warrant it to be reactivated. The law and Court rules prohibit the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police from releasing grand jury proceedings," said Amy Kempe, spokesperson for Kilmartin, when Speaker Nicholas Mattiello had requested the documents. "This request appears to be a political reaction, not a legal reaction."

Dickinson question the logic of the Attorney General’s argument, “Their rationale about the case being re-opened if more information came to light -- that could happen with any case.  And that's the basis of their defense?”

In Dickinson’s letter to Kilmartin he wrote,”As you know, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has recently reiterated that public interest is a factor in determining whether items such as the ones described above are to be considered public records.  It is my client’s position that in this situation public interest in disclosure is incalculably high and therefore outweighs any countervailing consideration.”

"I have not seen [the letter], and APRA requests go through our records unit. And in general, we don't comment on those requests," said Kempe on Friday, in response to questions about Dickinson's request for documents. 

When asked if the Attorney General was in RI, Kempe said, "The AG was in the office in the earlier part of the week; he was at the National AG's Conference in San Diego at the end of the week," and Kempe added. "Has he been in Florida? No."

 

Related Articles

• Connected Lawyer Pledged Tax Credits Before 38 Studios Was Approved
• EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Attorney Investigating Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios
• Leominster’s R.A. Salvatore Stiffed for $1.7 Million Schilling’s 38 Studios’ Bankruptcy
• GoLocal’s Coverage of 38 Studios is Featured on CBS Radio - Listen
• Insiders Had Hands All Over Schilling’s 38 Studios Deal
• Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios Disaster - A Timeline
• Bonds Sold for 38 Studios Deal
• 38 Studios Relocates Ahead of Schedule
• NEW: Is Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios Going Broke?
• NEW: Few RI Lawmakers Voted Against Deal that Paved Way for 38 Studios
• 38 Studios Bankruptcy: Executives Say Tax Credits Could Have Saved Company
• INVESTIGATION: Secret Documents Reveal True Risks of 38 Studios
• 38 Studios Connected Lawyer’s Million Dollar Movie Projects
• NEW: 38 Studios Auction Brings in $650k
• RI Sues Key Players from Schilling’s 38 Studios—See Complaint
• BREAKING: State of RI Sues Curt Schilling and Others Over 38 Studios
• EXCLUSIVE: Schilling Responds to 38 Studios Law Suit
• GoLocalTV: Medieval Weapons and Software Auctioned off from Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios
• NEW: 38 Studios Assets to Be Sold at Two Auctions
• 38 Studios Insider Gets $650k in New Film Tax Credits
• E-Mails Reveal 38 Studios’ Desperate Attempts to Secure Tax Credits
• 38 Studios Tried to Keep Public in the Dark, E-Mails Say
• NEW: Sony Boss Blames Gov Chafee for 38 Studios Failure

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