It was big news last week in Providence, R.I., when agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration teamed up with Rhode Island state police to seize 145 pounds of cocaine and more than $1 million in cash while arresting three men believed to be linked to Mexican drug lords.

Peter Neronha (DOJ)

It wasn’t just big news to the people of Providence. It was big news to Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha, who sits on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys. “We were unaware of this investigation,” Jim Martin, spokesman for Neronha, told the Providence Journal. “These are the types of cases we certainly would want to prioritize.”

But federal prosecutors were conspicuously absent last Thursday, when DEA agents joined state and local police and state Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin in announcing the arrests after a five-month investigation.  For now, at least, it appears that the case will be prosecuted in state rather than federal court, and that puzzles some people.

“It tastes like a federal case; it smells like a federal case, given the quantity and the allegations of international and multi-state transportation of both cocaine and cash,” George J. West, a defense lawyer who works in state and federal courts, told the Journal. “These are common factors in federal cases.”

Regardless of which court system the cases lands in, it would seem that someone has some explaining to do. Whenever the Justice Department announces arrests after a long, complicated investigation, it emphasizes the wonderful teamwork within DOJ and between the DOJ and state and local agencies.

Anthony Pettigrew, spokesman for the DEA in Boston, told the newspaper his agency decided to take the case through state court based on “who was working on it at the time.” In any event, the unawareness of the U.S. Attorney’s office seems doubly surprising, given that Rhode Island is so small that everyone in government and politics is supposed to know everyone else’s business.  That’s one stereotype about the state. At least, it was.

A former Rhode Island U.S. Attorney is poised to become the next chairman of the state’s recently established Moderate Party, The Providence Journal reported today.

Robert Corrente (Burns & Levinson)

Ex-U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente will take over the post from Kenneth J. Block, who stepped down last week to become the party’s first gubernatorial candidate, according the newspaper. Corrente had served as chairman of the group’s ethics policy committee, according to The Journal.

The former Rhode Island prosecutor last year considered running for governor with the Moderate Party, but he decided against it.

“I’m not going to do it,” Corrente told The Journal in November. “It’s certainly an interesting landscape for next year, and the whole race looks intriguing, but it’s not a good time for me, given where I am in my career.”

President George W. Bush appointed Corrente to be Rhode Island’s top federal prosecutor in 2004. He retired last year to become a Providence-based partner at the Burns & Levinson law firm. Read more about him here.

A crippling blizzard pounding the East Coast has forced nearly a dozen U.S. Attorney’s offices to close and has curtailed Justice Department operations in Washington today, according to DOJ officials.

A weekend snowstorm shut down the Justice Department on Monday. (photo by Ryan J. Reilly).

Many DOJ employees who work at DOJ headquarters in Washington and at U.S. Attorney’s offices stretching from Virginia to Rhode Island are working from home on BlackBerries, cell phone and laptops, the officials said.

The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, the DOJ’s main building, is open for essential personnel who are able to make it through the heavy snow and 40 mile per hour winds. There are about 25,300 people who work for DOJ agencies in the Washington area, according to CNN.

Several U.S. Attorney’s offices and DOJ headquarters have been closed or have had limited operations since Monday because of a storm that brought more than a foot of snow to most of the East Coast last weekend, according to reports here and here.

Today’s storm hit while authorities were still struggling to clean up from the last one.

The U.S. Attorney’s offices that are closed today are in:

• Maryland. The office was also closed on Monday.

• The District of Columbia. The office has been closed since Monday.

• The Eastern District of Virginia (Alexandria office). The office has been closed since Monday.

• The Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville and Harrisonburg offices).

• The Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

• The Middle District of Pennsylvania.

• The Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Johnstown offices).

• The Eastern District of New York.

• New Jersey.

• Rhode Island.

• Delaware.

U.S. Attorney’s offices in the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Tennessee and Kansas were shuttered on Monday because of the weather, according to CNN. The Eastern District of Arkansas U.S. Attorney’s Office was also closed on Tuesday, CNN said.

DOJ spokesperson Gina Talamona told Main Justice that DOJ public safety and national security functions are “operational.” She added that the DOJ has made special arrangements for its legal division attorneys to work during the storms and keep up with court deadlines.

This report has been corrected from an earlier version.

Gerard Sullivan (ABC)

A Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney who was charged with refusing to submit to a breathalyzer test and driving under the influence had the second charged dismissed today, The Associated Press reports.

Warwick, R.I., city solicitor Robert Sgroi recommended the charge be dropped in part because because Sullivan last week admitted there was enough evidence to prove he refused the breathalyzer and because he has already lost his license. Earlier today, a Warwick, R.I., judge agreed to Sgroi’s request.

On Thanksgiving morning, Gerard B. Sullivan was stopped by police in Warwick, R.I.,  after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with failing to take a breathalyzer test, but he was not initially charged with driving under the influence. The police report said Sullivan informed the officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times, told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do.” He has had his driver’s license revoked for seven months, The AP reports.

In addition to an internal investigation being conducted in the police department, the Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into whether Sullivan attempted to use his position to avoid the DUI charge.

Rhode Island city solicitors did not honor a request from a federal prosecutor in the state to dismiss a driving under the influence charge against him, The Providence Journal reported today.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gerard B. Sullivan was arrested with several other people over the Thanksgiving holiday in Warwick, R.I., after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with refusing to take a breathalyzer test, and was later charged with driving under the influence.

The police report said Sullivan informed the arresting officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times. He also told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do,” according to the report.

Sullivan’s lawyer, Kevin J. Bristow, and Warwick city solicitor Robert J. Sgroi would not comment to The Journal about why the driving under the influence charge wasn’t thrown out. The case is in the pretrial phase.

The alleged drunk driving incident is being investigated by the Justice Department.

A Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney who was charged with refusing to submit to a breathalyzer test and driving under the influence surrendered his driver’s license on Tuesday as his case proceeds in traffic court, The Associated Press reports.

On Thanksgiving morning, Gerard B. Sullivan was stopped by police in Warwick, R.I.,  after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with failing to take a breathalyzer test, but he was not initially charged with driving under the influence. The police report said Sullivan informed the officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times, told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do.”

The incident is being investigated by the Justice Department.

Sullivan was ordered by a Traffic Tribunal judge to give up his license as the case proceeds in traffic court, the AP reports.

Gerard Sullivan (ABC)

The Justice Department is conducting an investigation into a Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney who was charged with refusing a breathalyzer test and driving under the influence, according to Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen M. McCartney. The Providence Journal reports.

On Thanksgiving morning, Gerard B. Sullivan was stopped by police after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with failing to take a breathalyzer test, but he was not initially charged with driving under the influence. The police report said Sullivan informed the officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times, told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do.”

Of the five people in Warwick, R.I., who were charged with refusing to take a breath test over the long holiday weekend, Sullivan was the only one also not charged with the more serious offense, driving under the influence.  The prosecutor claimed he didn’t attempt to use his position to avoid the DUI charge, which is more serious than the breath-test violation. Following news reports that suggested Sullivan had received lenient treatment because of his job, he was charged with a DUI.

Although a spokeswoman for DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General last week would not confirm or deny that Sullivan was under review for possibly attempting to use his position to avoid the charge, on Monday Warwick’s Chief McCartney said an employee from the Inspector General’s Office contacted him last week, The Providence Journal reports.

McCartney told the newspaper, “They’re doing their own independent investigation, but they did ask for everything regarding the Sullivan investigation, to include the internal review,”  adding, “I promised them I’d give them 300 percent cooperation, and I think it’s wholly appropriate.”

The police chief told the newspaper the department will turn over its information regarding why Sullivan was not initially charged with a DUI. “We’ve got other areas of evidence that have to be looked at, and all I want is a thorough investigation.”

He also welcomed an out-of-state external investigation as to why Sullivan wasn’t initially charged. McCartney told The Providence Journal, “I just think it would be very difficult to have any outside agency in the state of Rhode Island review this case, so I’m glad the Department of Justice is reviewing.”

Gerard Sullivan (ABC)

A Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney was charged today with driving under the influence, after initially being accused of a lesser violation, the Warwick Police Department announced Friday. Read The Associated Press report here.

The DUI charge comes after a drumbeat of local news reports in recent days suggested the federal prosecutor had received lenient treatment because of his job. “I think we’ve got a public confidence problem right now, and we’ve got to deal with it,” Warwick, R.I., Police Chief Stephen McCartney told the local ABC television affiliate.

On Thanksgiving, Gerard B. Sullivan was pulled over after two motorists contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. Sullivan was charged with failing to take a breathalyzer test, but he was not initially charged with driving under the influence.

The police report said Sullivan informed the officers of his prosecutorial job numerous times, told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do.”

Of the five people in Warwick, R.I., who were charged with refusing to take a breath test over the long holiday weekend, Sullivan was the only one also not charged with the more serious parallel offense, driving under the influence.  The prosecutor claimed he didn’t attempt to use his position to avoid the DUI charge, which is more serious than the breath-test violation.

The local Rhode Island ABC affiliate also reported that Sullivan was arrested Nov. 1 about 12:30 a.m. in Myrtle Beach, S.C., outside the Senor Frog’s, a restaurant and bar. The TV station said there is no police report of the incident, but that Sullivan paid a $150 fine.

Here is a local Rhode Island TV news report about Sullivan:

UPDATE: Sullivan earlier today pleaded not guilty to his DUI charge, The AP reports. He was released after promising to appear at his Dec. 15 hearing.

Police are investigating whether a Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney used his position to avoid a driving-under-the-influence charge, the Associated Press reports.

Two motorists on Thanksgiving morning contacted police in Warwick, R.I., about the driver of a BMW — identified as Gerard B. Sullivan — who they said was driving erratically. After Sullivan was pulled over, he allegedly informed the officers multiple times about his job. According to AP, Sullivan also told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do.” He failed a field sobriety test but was not charged with driving under the influence, according to the AP story.

Warwick Police Chief Stephen McCartney on Wednesday told AP that police are investigating whether Sullivan attempted to avoid being charged with a DUI after failing field sobriety tests and refusing a breathalyzer. Kevin Bristow, Sullivan’s attorney, told the AP that although the Assistant U.S. Attorney made a mistake and is embarrassed, he did not attempt to use his job to influence police.

Bristow told the AP, “Does he regret driving the vehicle? Yeah, very much so. It’s a mistake that he made, and you know, he’s paying an extraordinary price,” adding, “You can read the paper, listen to the airwaves. It could take a professional toll, and certainly it’s taking a personal toll.”

Although it is the Warwick Police Department’s policy to charge people who refuse to submit to a breathalizyer test with DUI “if the circumstances are corroborated,” Sullivan was charged only with refusing to take the breath test, The AP reports. As to the question of his attempt to influence the officers,  McCartney told AP, “The fact that he did even mention my name casts questions here.”

Bristow told AP that Sullivan will not contest the charge of refusing the breathalyzer test.

A Rhode Island Assistant U.S. Attorney last week was charged with refusing to take a chemical breath test after driving erratically, The Providence Journal reports.

Two drivers on Thanksgiving morning contacted police about the driver of a BMW — identified as Gerard B. Sullivan — who they said appeared “out of it,” and was “driving all over the road,” the newspaper said.

After Sullivan was pulled over, he informed the officers multiple times of his job, according to a police report, the newspaper said.

Sullivan also told the officers he knew the police chief and asked if there was “anything he could do,” The Providence Journal reported. Of the five people in Warwick, R.I., charged with refusing to take a breath test over the long holiday weekend, Sullivan was the only one also not charged with another offense, driving under the influence, according to the  newspaper.

Warwick police chief Col. Stephen M. McCartney on Tuesday told The Providence Journal he only knows Sullivan professionally. He also told the newspaper that he was unaware of Sullivan’s arrest until The Providence Journal called him.

“But I don’t think the fact he was a public official had any bearing on the arrest the officers made,” McCartney told The Providence Journal. ”He was treated like anybody else — and had all the circumstances been there, I think they would have double-charged.”

McCartney also told the newspaper that arresting officer Russell Brown did not have enough evidence to substantiate a driving under the influence charge — a more serious offense than failing to take a breath test — even though Brown in his police report wrote that Sullivan was “coming from the tavern” and had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.”

The police told The Providence Journal that the Assistant U.S. Attorney is scheduled to appear before the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal on Dec. 18 to face the chemical-test charge.

Thomas Connell, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha, told The Providence Journal that Sullivan was on “travel status” Tuesday, adding that the state’s top federal prosecutor was aware of the charge against Sullivan.

“Warwick police are handling that and this office, in consultation with the Department of Justice, will address any administrative consequences that may result,” Connell told the newspaper.