By Will Collette
 |
| 1092 Great Road, Lincoln, RI |
Yesterday, Rep. Donna Walsh filed a formal complaint with the RI Board of Elections (BOE) alleging that her opponent, Blake Filippi, does not actually live in the District. Instead of living on Block Island, as he swore under penalty of perjury, Filippi actually lives in Lincoln.
There will be some who will be skeptical about Rep. Walsh's charges. However, the evidence is there for you to review for yourself.
We'll start first with Filippi's voter registration, claiming to be a Block Island resident. This was filed in 2000.
Next, let's look at records of traffic arrests from the Westlaw database. As you will see in these records, Filippi was stopped for moving violations in Arizona and Rhode Island. Each time, he gave the arresting officer some proof - presumably his driver's license, showing his home as 1092 Great Road in Lincoln. That makes you wonder what form of ID he used to register to vote in Block Island.
Here are the Westlaw records:
TRAFFIC STOPS
Administrative Office of the
Courts Record
Source Information
Information Current Through:
|
04/02/2004
|
File Last Updated:
|
04/04/2004
|
Current Date:
|
07/04/2014
|
Source:
|
TRAFFIC RECORDS, RI
|
Defendant Information
Offender Name:
|
BLAKE A FILIPPI
|
Date of Birth:
|
09/10/1980
|
Last Known Address:
|
1092 GREAT RD
|
LINCOLN, RI 02865-3832
|
|
Address County:
|
PROVIDENCE
|
Gender:
|
MALE
|
Offense 1
Offense Number:
|
1
|
Case Number:
|
01509000016
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Case Status:
|
PAYMENT APPLIED
|
Case Status Date:
|
06/06/2001
|
Case Comments:
|
ARRAIGNMENT (20010605); EVENT DOCKET DATE: 20010606
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
05/19/2001
|
Case Information:
|
CASE FILED: RHODE ISLAND TRAFFIC TRIBUNAL 20010605
|
Statute Violated:
|
011A
|
Offense Charged:
|
SPD 1-10 PREV 1-15 EFF 7/1/02
|
Disposition:
|
GUILTY FINE PREPAID
|
Disposition Date:
|
06/06/2001
|
Initial Plea:
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GUILTY
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Court Name:
|
01 - RHODE ISLAND TRAFFIC TRIBUNAL
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Judge:
|
JUDGE
|
Offense 2
Offense Number:
|
2
|
Case Number:
|
9950900192
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Case Status:
|
CASE DISPOSED - FTA
|
Case Status Date:
|
07/24/2000
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Case Comments:
|
ARRAIGNMENT (20000724); EVENT DOCKET DATE: 20000724
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
07/07/2000
|
Case Information:
|
CASE FILED: RHODE ISLAND TRAFFIC TRIBUNAL 20000712
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Statute Violated:
|
011A
|
Offense Charged:
|
SPD 1-10 PREV 1-15 EFF 7/1/02
|
Disposition:
|
GUILTY ABSENTIA
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Disposition Date:
|
07/24/2000
|
Court Name:
|
01 - RHODE ISLAND TRAFFIC TRIBUNAL
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Judge:
|
PARKER
|
END OF DOCUMENT
Administrative Office of the
Courts Record
Source Information
Information Current Through:
|
05/07/2014
|
File Last Updated:
|
06/13/2014
|
Current Date:
|
07/04/2014
|
Source:
|
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS, AZ
|
Defendant Information
Offender Name:
|
BLAKE A FILIPPI
|
DL State:
|
RI
|
Date of Birth:
|
09/10/1980
|
Last Known Address:
|
1092 GREAT RD
|
LINCOLN, RI 02865-3832
|
|
Address County:
|
PROVIDENCE
|
Historical Address(es):
|
822 E 5TH ST
|
TUCSON, AZ 85719-5000
|
|
Gender:
|
MALE
|
Ethnicity:
|
WHITE
|
Offense 1
Offense Number:
|
1
|
Citation Number:
|
C06311032
|
Case Number:
|
M-1041-TR-3023645
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Case Title:
|
ST OF AZ VS FILIPPI BLAKE A
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
03/13/2003
|
Offense Charged:
|
LOCAL CHARGE
|
Offense Level:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Disposition:
|
PLEA GUILTY/RESP SENT IMPOSED
|
Disposition Date:
|
03/28/2003
|
Offense Location:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Court Name:
|
135 - TUCSON MUNICIPAL COURT
|
Jurisdiction County:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Offense 2
Offense Number:
|
2
|
Citation Number:
|
C05999310
|
Case Number:
|
M-1041-TR-87474
|
Case Title:
|
ST OF AZ VS FILIPPI
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
10/16/2000
|
Offense Charged:
|
LOCAL CHARGE
|
Offense Level:
|
NONE
|
Disposition:
|
PLEA GUILTY/RESP SENT IMPOSED
|
Disposition Date:
|
10/26/2000
|
Offense Location:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Court Name:
|
135 - TUCSON MUNICIPAL COURT
|
Jurisdiction County:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Offense 3
Offense Number:
|
3
|
Citation Number:
|
C05878879
|
Case Number:
|
M-1041-TR-99275189
|
Case Title:
|
ST OF AZ VS FILIPPI
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
09/27/1999
|
Offense Charged:
|
FAIL TO CARRY VEHICLE REGISTRATION CARD
|
Offense Level:
|
NONE
|
Disposition:
|
PLEA GUILTY/RESP SENT IMPOSED
|
Disposition Date:
|
09/29/1999
|
Offense Location:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Court Name:
|
135 - TUCSON MUNICIPAL COURT
|
Jurisdiction County:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Offense 4
Offense Number:
|
4
|
Citation Number:
|
C05878879
|
Case Number:
|
M-1041-TR-99275189
|
Case Title:
|
ST OF AZ VS FILIPPI
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
09/27/1999
|
Offense Charged:
|
FAIL TO PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL RESP
|
Offense Level:
|
NONE
|
Disposition:
|
COMPL DISMISSED BY COURT
|
Disposition Date:
|
09/29/1999
|
Offense Location:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Court Name:
|
135 - TUCSON MUNICIPAL COURT
|
Jurisdiction County:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Offense 5
Offense Number:
|
5
|
Citation Number:
|
C05878879
|
Case Number:
|
M-1041-TR-99275189
|
Case Title:
|
ST OF AZ VS FILIPPI
|
Case Type:
|
TRAFFIC
|
Charges Filed Date:
|
09/27/1999
|
Offense Charged:
|
LOCAL CHARGE
|
Offense Level:
|
NONE
|
Disposition:
|
PLEA GUILTY/RESP SENT IMPOSED
|
Disposition Date:
|
10/20/1999
|
Offense Location:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
Court Name:
|
135 - TUCSON MUNICIPAL COURT
|
Jurisdiction County:
|
PIMA COUNTY
|
END OF WESTLAW DOCUMENT
LAW LICENSES
Filippi also holds licenses to practice law in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Here's how he is registered. He told the Block Island Times that his law license lists Block Island as his home. Truth or dare? See for yourself.
Here's where the phone number listed on his bar licenses (and other materials you'll see below) actually goes:
Campaign contribution paper trail
Filippi filed his local papers to run for House District 36 in Block Island between June 23-25. He filed his state Notice of Organization on June 26. He listed 912 Champlin Road on Block Island as his residence. But just a couple of days before he filed those sworn statements, he made this campaign contribution - note the home address his lists.
There are eleven more like this - read them all by going to Appendix 2 in Rep. Walsh's complaint. They include one federal donation.
Here is a table with all of Filippi's campaign contributions.
In one, he lists his Providence law office. In another, he lists a Block Island PO Box. But all the rest list 1092 Great Road, Lincoln as Filippi's address while Filippi was VOTING on Block Island as if that was his legal address. The question for Filippi is which set of official documents is true and which is false.
Filippi's own campaign literature
The final piece of evidence is written in Filippi's own hand-writing. On his campaign flyers and mailers, he gives 744-2242 as the number to call if you have more questions. If that number sounds familiar, it should. It's the number listed to his home in Lincoln.
So there you have it. It's now up to you whether you want to believe Blake Filippi or your own lyin' eyes. In closing, here's an extract from "life-long resident of our district" Filippi's most recent campaign mailer:
