Investigation launched after East Providence councilman shuffles through city hall documents

By Alana Cerrone

acerrone@abc6.com

@Alana_Cerrone

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – East Providence Councilman Brian Faria is under investigation after he pulled an all-nighter in city hall in April.

Police Chief Christopher Parella says a custodian let Faria into the city hall law department office around 7 on a Friday night, and he didn’t walk out until 5 the next morning.

Police believe he photocopied at least 250 documents, including public records requests.

It was discovered that just one day prior, Faria had filed his own request looking for all the public records requests people had filed that had anything to do with him since he was elected.

The attorney general’s office says they don’t think Faria’s actions are criminal but they are alarming.

In fact, one resident is calling for his resignation.

Bob Rodericks, who’s also running for city council but not Faria’s seat, says he wants him to step down for the sake of the city. "I think he needs to cut his losses and stop this embarrassment."

Rodericks also claims dozens of city employees have come forward to report harassment by Faria. During Wednesday’s meeting, the city’s human resources director detailed some complaints from the city clerk’s office. "They report that he frequently yells and swears at her, bangs on her desk and gets upset when she does not respond quickly enough to his needs."

Faria says the investigation is a witch hunt. He also says he was never notified that he would be the topic of discussion in Wednesday’s meeting. He wasn’t able to attend due to an injury, he says.

©WLNE-TV 2018