Former AG O'Neil on Gemma accusations

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The former Rhode Island Attorney General who was hired by Anthony Gemma calls the candidate’s voter fraud accusations ‘credible’ but stops short of linking the claims directly to incumbent 1 ^st District Representative David Cicilline.         

Cicilline’s democratic primary opponent says he hired James O’Neil to be his liaison with law enforcement. O'Neil served as Attorney General from 1987 to 1993.

Gemma aimed his accusations at unnamed Cicilline campaign advisers and claims the incumbent is the 'common denominator' in what Gemma calls ‘voter fraud evidence’.  

“But as far as saying there is an individual that says David Cicilline was part and parcel of this on a daily basis,” O’Neil says. “I didn't hear that and neither did you.”

Gemma says he turned over evidence gathered by a private investigator he hired to Rhode Island State Police and the FBI but neither agency would comment on whether or not an investigation is underway. O’Neil says state police are aggressively investigating the claims.

Gemma claims the incidents happened between 2002 and 2010 and involved several brands of fraud including using dead voters’ names, tampering with voting machines, finagling absentee ballots and using underage voters to cast illegal ballots. 

O'Neil adds that what Gemma calls evidence still needs to be ‘flushed out’. But while Gemma says state police asked him not to go public with the claims, O’Neil predicts a news conference would not hurt an investigation.

“That way you will gain informants,” O’Neil says. “And once you gain informants then you begin to gain additional traction on your investigation.”

O’Neil would not comment about the sources of the accusations but says he is confident the voter fraud should be investigated.

“I'm as confident as Mr. Gemma is that these are not just bald assertions. These are good solid statements.”

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