Rhode Island Prison Chief Wrist-Slapped for Ethics Violation
On August 23, 2024, the Rhode Island Ethics Commission approved an informal resolution and settlement of ethics violation claims against Wayne Salisbury, Director of the state Department of Corrections (DOC). He was fined a mere $200 for failing “to properly disclose several instances of out-of-state travel during 2023 that were provided to him by third parties.”
While serving as the DOC’s interim director, Salisbury took six trips paid for by others: three sponsored by the Correctional Leaders Association; another paid for by the Interstate Commission for Adult Supervision; and another footed by the Center for Naval Analyses and several other organizations; plus a visit to England sponsored by the British Consulate.
Each trip was valued at more than $250, so all of them should have been reported on financial disclosure statements. But Salisbury failed to identify any such travel in his disclosure statement and further certified under penalty of perjury that it was “complete and accurate.”
After a journalist contacted the DOC and asked for details concerning the Director’s out-of-state travel, Salisbury filed an amended statement that added the six trips. He later submitted several other amendments, disclosing additional family income sources for both himself and his spouse, as well as entities to which he or his spouse owed at least $1,000.
As a state-appointed official in a major decision-making position, Salisbury was required to report any payments and reimbursements that he received for out-of-state travel, even if he had partly or fully reimbursed the state for advanced expenses such as airfare and hotel costs. The trip to England alone was valued at $3,900.
Salisbury agreed to settle the ethics violations and accept responsibility for omissions on his initial financial disclosure statement. The Ethics Commission also imposed a $200 fine as a penalty. The settlement noted that “the investigation did not uncover any evidence that [he] misappropriated or improperly received any reimbursement funds from the state or a third party.”
The ethics complaint against Salisbury was filed by Richard Ferruccio, President of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, which had opposed Salisbury’s appointment as DOC director. See: Rhode Island Ethics Comm’n Complaint No. 2024-9 (August 23, 2024).
Additional source: WPRI
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