Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin recently honored several individuals and organizations at the 8th annual Justice Awards. Among those honored was Cumberland resident Jacques Moreau, an employee of the RI Division of Taxation.
The Justice Awards are given to individuals and community organizations in recognition of an extraordinary commitment to justice and the community. They are presented in honor of the eight previous Attorneys General.
A longtime Tax Division employee who recently was appointed Chief of the Division's Compliance and Collections section, Jacques Moreau was a critical member of team that unearthed a contraband cigarette smuggling ring in Providence. A nearly year-long investigation by the Rhode Island State Police, Homeland Security, ATF and the Division of Taxation culminated in the arrests of three individuals and the seizure of 121,000 packs of contraband cigarettes, which is believed to be the largest such operation and investigation in the Division's history.
For the individual and collective efforts of Jacques Moreau and his Division of Taxation colleagues, he received the former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse Justice Award for Consumer Protection.
"Most people associate the Division of Taxation as the evil agency looking to take your money. In fact, it is their good investigative work that led to the demise of a major criminal enterprise that was illegally siphoning taxpayer dollars," said Attorney General Kilmartin.