Joseph Almeida

Joseph S. Almeida, Jr. (born September 23, 1957) is a Cape Verdean American politician who served as the Rhode Island State Representative for the 12th District from 2015 to 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Joseph Almeida
Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
from the 12th (Providence) district
In office
5 January 1999 – 4 January 2011
Succeeded byLeo Medina
In office
January 2015 – January 2021
Preceded byLeo Medina
Succeeded byJose Batista
Personal details
Born
Joseph S. Almeida, Jr.

(1957-09-23) September 23, 1957
Political partyDemocratic
Children5
ResidenceProvidence
Alma materRoger Williams College
Website

Biography

Almeida was born on September 23, 1957, in Providence, Rhode Island.[1] He attended high school at the La Salle Academy, graduating in 1975, and majored with a BA from the Roger Williams College in 1990. He is married and has 5 children.[2] In September 1997, Almeida retired as a Providence police officer.[3]

Political career

Almeida was a financial strategist and owned a bar prior to being first elected a Rhode Island State Representative, on November 3, 1998. Almeida kept his seat in the general assembly until September 14, 2010, when he lost to Leo Medina in the general election.[4] Almeida was elected again in November 2012 and returned to represent District 12.[5]

During his second term in office, Almeida was elected as the majority leader for the Democratic party on March 25, 2014.[6] Following his arrest in 2015, Almeida resigned from his position as party leader.[3]

Arrest

On February 10, 2015, Almeida was arrested and charged by Rhode Island State Police for misappropriating $6,122 in campaign funds for personal use. Almeida pleaded not guilty.[3] In a court hearing in May 2015, Almeida was given a $1,000 fine and a year on probation.[7]

Personal life

Lawsuit

On September 16, 1996, Almeida's wife Denise Welsey died at the Rhode Island Hospital from a pulmonary embolism. After his wife's death, Almeida filed a wrongful death claim against the hospital. The lawsuit was brought to trial in May 2003 and ended with a financial settlement of an estimated $200,000.[8]

References
  1. "Joseph Almeida, Jr's Biography - The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  2. "Office of the Secretary of State: Nellie M. Gorbea: Directory of Government Officials". sos.ri.gov. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  3. McGowan, Dan (10 February 2015). "Rep. Almeida arrested over campaign finances". wpri.com. WPRI Eyewitness News. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  4. "2010 General Election Results District 12". Rhode Island Board of Elections. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  5. "Biography of Representative Joseph S. Almeida". State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  6. Blum, Alexander. "R.I. majority leader becomes speaker of the House". browndailyherald.com. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  7. Mulvaney, Katie. "R.I. Rep. Almeida pleads no contest to misusing campaign funds, gets 1 year probation, $1,000 fine". Providence Journal. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  8. Gudrais, Elizabeth. "From The Journal's archives: Finance member's tough times". Providence Journal. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.