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Four Charged in $1 Million SNAP & Pandemic Aid Fraud Spanning Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Ida Lewis Distance Race Returns to Newport August 12th for 24-Hour Offshore Challenge

Paramore’s Hayley Williams & Friends to Perform at 2026 Newport Folk Festival
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Four Charged in $1 Million SNAP & Pandemic Aid Fraud Spanning Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Ida Lewis Distance Race Returns to Newport August 12th for 24-Hour Offshore Challenge

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Federal prosecutors say more than $1 million in ta

Federal prosecutors say more than $1 million in taxpayer-funded benefits meant for struggling families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island was siphoned off in a brazen fraud scheme that allegedly used stolen identities to bankroll a local restaurant.

Three defendants were arrested and a fourth charged in the case, which authorities say relied on 115 stolen identities to fraudulently obtain about $440,000 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, along with hundreds of thousands more in pandemic aid — pushing the total haul past $1 million.

The defendants named in the case are:
* Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, Mass.
* Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.
* Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.
* Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, of Fitchburg, Mass., who faces additional charges including wire fraud, SNAP fraud and money laundering

According to charging documents, the defendants created 24 fake SNAP “households,” all supposedly living in two apartments in Providence, despite many of the stolen identities belonging to people who lived in other states.

Prosecutors say the operation centered on El Primo Restaurant in Leominster, where counterfeit passport images — some traced by metadata to inside or near the restaurant — were allegedly used to support fraudulent benefit applications filed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Once approved, investigators allege the EBT cards were used to buy bulk meat and food from wholesalers, stocking the restaurant at no cost. The food was then cooked, sold at full price, and converted into pure profit.

Searches tied to the case uncovered Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fake documents listing Providence addresses, and handwritten ledgers containing more than 100 stolen identities, authorities said.

If convicted, the defendants face years — and potentially decades — in federal prison, along with steep fines.

#rhodeisland #massachusetts #fraud

There are distance races — and then there’s the Id

There are distance races — and then there’s the Ida Lewis Distance Race.

The no-nonsense, 24-hour offshore grind returns for its 21st running on Friday, Aug. 14, launching crews into one of the most demanding sailing tests in New England. The start gun fires just off Fort Adams, sending boats charging into Narragansett Bay and beyond on courses selected by the race committee — routes that blend tight coastal tactics with true offshore punishment.

This is not a sunset cruise.

Crews can expect it all: drifting night watches, breeze-on reaches, shifting weather and fatigue-clouded decision-making — sometimes within the same race. It’s a full-throttle test of endurance, seamanship and mental toughness, run straight through the dark and into dawn.

The event is open to ORC, PHRF and Double-Handed classes, along with Youth and Collegiate Challenge divisions, drawing a deep field of offshore veterans and hungry up-and-comers. Different boats, different backgrounds — same goal: survive the night and still have something left at the finish.

And that finish? Few can match it.

After a full day at sea, crews are welcomed home with offshore sailing’s version of a victory parade — a champagne finish inside Newport Harbor, right in front of the historic Ida Lewis Yacht Club, which hosts the race. It’s celebratory, hard-earned — and unmistakably Newport.

For sailors chasing stamina, strategy and bragging rights in some of the most storied waters in the sport, the Ida Lewis Distance Race remains a must-do — and a badge of honor once it’s done.

📸 Stephen Cloutier

#idalewis #newportbuzz #newportri

The Newport Folk Festival lineup is adding a famil

The Newport Folk Festival lineup is adding a familiar rock voice with a collaborative twist.

Hayley Williams & Friends are scheduled to perform Friday, July 24, bringing the Paramore singer to a festival traditionally linked to folk and Americana, but known for mixing genres.

In recent years, Williams has stepped outside her pop-punk background with solo material that leans more experimental and personal in tone. That shift fits with Newport’s reputation for blending styles and giving artists room to try something different.

The “& Friends” part of the billing often means guest appearances and on-the-spot collaborations — a common feature of the festival, where musicians frequently share the stage and rework songs in new ways.

Williams’ range, from quieter moments to more powerful vocals, gives her flexibility in that kind of setting, whether the performance leans stripped-down or more energetic.

Her appearance continues the festival’s pattern of expanding what audiences can expect, while still keeping the focus on songwriting and live collaboration.

photo: Newport Folk Festival

#newportfolkfest #newportbuzz #newportri

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