Fmr. State House aid faces 50+ charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A former Pawtucket City Councilor and ex-top aid at the State House is slated to be arraigned on dozens of charges Tuesday morning, accused of running a massive check-cashing scheme.

Raymond Hoyas Jr., 50, was a former Deputy Chief of Staff to Joseph Montalbano while he served as Senate President. He is now facing 52 counts of forgery and counterfeiting, one count of larceny and one count of obtaining money under false pretenses.

Hoyas Jr. resigned in January of 2009 as Deputy Chief of Staff, right around the same time that Rhode Island State Police began their investigation into the alleged scheme; a move reportedly started after authorities received a tip that hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks never made it to their rightful owners, but were cashed anyways.

Hoyas also served on the Pawtucket City Council from 1997 to 2004. So far he has not been arrested but has been charged by way of secret information and will hear the charges against him in court Tuesday morning at 9:30.

The Attorney General's office has released very few details about the case, but say they will give out more information after the court appearance.