RIPTA ends ex-con hiring program

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The CEO of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority has suspended its relationship with a nonprofit that finds job placement for former inmates following a Target 12 investigation.

Thom Deller, Chairman of the RIPTA board, said Charles Odimgbe made the announcement at the end of Monday's meeting saying there have “been some concerns” about the partnership with Open Doors.

“He said he started the program and didn’t pay enough attention to it and didn’t do a good job managing it,” Deller said. “The board agreed to discuss it at a future meeting.”

Deller said Odimgbe never informed the board about his endeavor before the former inmates made it to the agency’s payroll.

Target 12 previously reported RIPTA hired two ex-convicts as drivers for their RIde program, which serves the elderly and disabled. The men had lengthy criminal records and had served time at the ACI.

Deller said the men profiled in the piece are no longer behind the wheel of a RiDe bus, but it is unclear if they were given job placement elsewhere within the agency.

Calls to Odimgbe’s office have not been returned.

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim