Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin recently honored several individuals and organizations at the 8th annual Justice Awards. Among those honored were Cranston residents Peter McVay and Michael Canole, both employees 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.
In 2010, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation unearthed a major 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 their individual and collective efforts in the investigation, Cranston residents Peter McVay and Michael Canole each 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.