Providence, RI - Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced his nomination of Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis M. Matos for a position on the Rhode Island Superior Court.
"Luis Matos is eminently qualified, with decades of valuable legal experience and awards and accolades from every position he has held," Governor Chafee said. "His story is a compelling one: emigrating from Portugal to Providence at a young age, Lu was the first member of his family to graduate from college. But even more impressive is what he has accomplished, most notably with the U.S. Attorney's office, where he led a number of successful prosecutions in high-profile cases. He has earned an outstanding reputation in Rhode Island's legal community, and has been described as a man of high character and integrity. Lu is a highly qualified candidate for an important position on the Superior Court bench."
"After coming to Rhode Island from Portugal, my parents achieved the American Dream," Matos said. "They have greatly shaped the person I am today. They have fostered my interest in working in the public interest, of giving back because I have been given such opportunity in this country. I recognize the unique and important role the Superior Court plays in the justice system in Rhode Island, and I appreciate the Governor's confidence. I pledge to use my legal and life experience to apply the law fairly, evenly, and in the interest of justice."
Since 2001, Matos has served as Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island. With the U.S. Attorney's Office, Matos has focused on criminal prosecution, primarily health care fraud, white collar fraud, and public corruption. He led successful prosecutions in such notable cases as U.S. v. Roger Williams Medical Center, Robert Uriuoli, et. al., U.S. v. Curran, and U.S. v. Gonsalves. Within the U.S. Attorney's Office, Matos served as Civil Chief from 2005 – 2006, Criminal Chief in 2006, First Assistant U.S. Attorney from 2007 – 2009, and Acting U.S. Attorney in 2009. During his tenure with the Rhode Island District Office, Matos has received the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' Excellence Award, the HHS Inspector General's Integrity Award (2001, 2005), and was honored by R.I. Lawyer's Weekly as one of three "Lawyers of the Year" in 2006.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island, Matos served as Health Care Fraud Coordinator with the Office of Legal Programs within the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys in Washington, D.C. He previously served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, where he was recognized with the Director's Award for Superior Achievement and the HHS Inspector General's Integrity Award (1999), and as trial attorney with the Commercial Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division, where he received the Meritorious Award and the Special Act or Service Award. After graduating from law school, Matos was an associate with the Washington, D.C. firm of Newman & Holtzinger, P.C. He graduated from Brown University, where he was the Class of 1986 Brown Club Scholar, and received his law degree, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law. At law school, Matos served on the Moot Court Board and won the Polsky National Moot Court Competition Award for "Best Brief" and an American Jurisprudence Award.
Matos was born in Batalha, Portugal, and immigrated to Rhode Island with his family in 1969, settling in Fox Point, Providence. His father, who had a fourth-grade education, worked in factories, while his mother, who had no formal education, was a housekeeper at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.