Latest news with #Matos
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
No prison time for campaign worker charged with falsifying nomination papers in R.I. congressional race
In a statement on Monday, Matos said she feels 'pleased to have my name cleared by today's conviction.' Advertisement 'I have supported this investigation at every step in the hopes that the truth would come to light,' Matos said. 'With this case settled, the facts are clear: Holly McClaren committed a serious crime that undermined the sanctity of our state's free and fair elections. I'm grateful to the law enforcement officers who handled this investigation thoroughly and professionally and whose work ultimately led to today's results.' Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up McClaren was McClaren worked as a part-time field volunteer gathering signatures for Matos during the 2023 Democratic primary for the First Congressional District seat. A criminal investigation was launched, however, when officials in Jamestown, Newport, and East Providence reported suspect signatures of dead people and others who claimed to have never signed the forms. Advertisement The scandal rocked Matos' campaign. The lieutenant governor ultimately finished fourth in the 11-candidate primary election won by now-Congressman Gabe Amo. Prosecutors alleged McClaren knowingly falsified and submitted nomination papers to the Jamestown and Newport Boards of Canvassers on behalf of Matos between July 11 and 13, 2023. McClaren has John R. Grasso, an attorney representing McClaren, maintained that position on Monday. 'She has always denied that she secured any fraudulent signatures,' Grasso told the Globe. 'The charge was that she signed the documents, attesting to the fact that she personally authenticated those signatures, when, in fact, they were gathered by someone else and then just handed to her in a pile of papers, and she signed them.' Grasso said McClaren, who now lives in Virginia, brought the papers 'to wherever they needed to go, and whoever checked them said, 'You got to sign these.'' 'So she flipped the page over and signed them,' he said. 'That's a case of don't sign a document that you haven't read.' McClaren was one of two people charged with falsifying nomination papers for Matos' campaign: In April 2024, Christopher M. Cotham, of Massachusetts, Court records show the case against Cotham remains pending. Material from previous Globe stories was used in this report. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Woman at center of Matos signature scandal avoids prison time after changing plea
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The woman at the center of the signature scandal that derailed Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos' congressional campaign in 2023 was spared prison time after changing her plea to no contest at Providence Superior Court on Monday. Holly McClaren had initially pleaded not guilty last year to two felony counts of violating nomination papers and two misdemeanor counts of giving false documents to an agent, employee or public official last year after she was indicted by a grand jury. On Monday, McClaren changed her plea to nolo contendere, or no contest, meaning she accepts the conviction as though a guilty plea has been entered but does not admit guilt. She was sentenced to three years unsupervised probation without any prison time, and she's allowed to relocate to Virginia. 'She signed papers or signatures that she didn't actually go out and secure,' McClaren's attorney, John Grasso, told reporters outside court. 'She thought that by signing those papers she was just confirming that somebody else had secured those signatures, not realizing that she was attesting to the authenticity of those signatures.' McClaren declined to comment following the hearing. The Matos campaign hired McClaren and her firm in 2023 to collect signatures on behalf of the campaign to get Matos' name on the ballot. It was then revealed several signatures were flagged as potentially fraudulent. Target 12 tracked down several people in Newport, Barrington, East Providence and Cranston who said their names were forged on the paperwork. The scandal launched a criminal investigation and McClaren was subsequently accused of knowingly falsifying nomination papers and submitting them to local canvassing boards. Target 12: 'That's not my signature': Newport residents dispute more Matos nomination papers The scandal caused political damage to Matos, who was widely considered a frontrunner in the race. She ended up finishing fourth in the Democratic primary election, losing to Gabe Amo, who went on to win the general election and holds the seat today. Matos has never been accused of involvement in the scheme. Last month, Matos told 12 News there were moments during the scandal when she thought she would step down from everything, calling it a 'rough time.' 'This whole process was very traumatic and there were moments in which I thought maybe I was going to quit everything and quit the race for congress then have to quit lieutenant governor.' Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Eli Sherman (esherman@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Tim White contributed to this report Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
France 24
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Brazil breaks out in a rash over life-like doll craze
But this Brazilian "newborn" doesn't seem to mind having his nappy changed. In fact, he has no real emotions whatsoever. Ravi is a hyper-realistic doll with an eerie resemblance to an actual infant. Some of the so-called "reborn" dolls cry, suck dummies, pee, have nails, eyelashes and veins. But what really sets them apart from traditional dolls with waxy, smooth complexion is their puckered features and blotchy skin. Blink and you could mistake the bundle in the stroller in Rio de Janeiro for the real thing. Demand for these replica babies, which first emerged in the United States in the early 1990s, targeting adults chiefly, has rocketed in the South American country in recent years. "I always loved babies and dolls, from a very young age. When I discovered these art models I fell in love," said Ravi's 21-year-old "mum." Made with silicone or vinyl, the price tag for these bundles of joy can run to thousands of dollars. Matos, who lives in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas, received her first "reborn" -- so-called because the first editions were traditional dolls modified by artists to look more life-like -- aged nine. Her collection now runs to 22 and looking after her tiny charges is a full-time job which she enacts daily for her 1.3 million YouTube followers. But in the past few weeks, the admiring comments on her posts have become interspersed with attacks. "People say I should be admitted to a psychiatric hospital because they believe that we treat them (the dolls) as if they were real children, which is not the case," she said. "It's sad." A country divided The dolls tottered into the public debate in April when a group of collectors held a gathering in a park in Sao Paulo. Footage of the event went viral, along with a separate video of a reborn "birth," in which an influencer extracts a disheveled doll from a fluid-filled bag passing for an amniotic sac and then clamps a make-believe umbilical cord. Social media erupted with posts either condemning the would-be mothers' behavior as deranged or dismissing it as a harmless hobby. "Let these people raise reborn babies. If they procreate, it will be much worse!" actress Luana Piovani wrote on Instagram, in a post that was viewed thousands of times. 'Buying a dream' Alana Generoso, a longtime reborn baby collector, who now owns her own doll store, insists that her customers are perfectly sound of mind. "Many children come to the story, as well as adults that lead normal lives," the 46-year-old mother of real four-year-old triplets said. Alana Babys Maternity Hospital in Campinas is designed to look like an authentic maternity ward. Before handing over a doll to its new owner, employees in white coats take it from an incubator, weigh it, place it in a stroller and present the proud "parent" with a birth certificate. "Here, you're not buying an ordinary doll, you're buying a dream," Generoso argued. "Are there cases of people looking after the dolls as if they were real babies? Yes, but they're not a majority." The debate has reverberated all the way up to Congress. Some MPs are calling for "reborn" mums to receive psychological help, but others call for people who allegedly use their "babies" to jump the queue for public services to be punished. Last week, an MP made clear which camp he was in when he brought his reborn "granddaughter" to parliament. Playing with dolls is "not a sin," Manoel Isidorio, an evangelical pastor, argued. Like men with kites For psychologist Viviane Cunha collecting dolls is a hobby that is only categorized as a disorder when it causes "social, emotional or economic harm." "If for example the person skips work because 'the baby has a fever', and believes it to be true, then he or she needs professional help," she said. Cunha linked the reborn fever to a global loneliness epidemic, which the World Health Organization has tied to social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I think the doll comes from a search for an emotional bond or connection," Cunha said. Matos argues that criticism of the dolls is sexist. "Male hobbies like video games, flying kites, playing football are normalized. No-one says that they are too old to do these things, but women cannot take care of their dolls without people thinking we are sick." © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
One arrested following Memorial Day stabbing in Binghamton
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A Binghamton man has been arrested and charged with first-degree assault following a stabbing that sent one to the hospital on Memorial Day. Binghamton Police officers responded to 54 Orton Ave in Binghamton on Monday, May 26, at around 6:15 p.m. for a reported stabbing. Officers found a 22-year-old with stab wounds to his chest and back upon arrival. The 22-year-old was taken to a local hospital by EMS to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. The suspect, 26-year-old Jordon Matos, of Binghamton, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with Assault in the first degree and is scheduled to appear in Binghamton City Court. Police say the incident was not random, as the victim and Matos know one another. The incident remains under investigation. The Big Mac was nearly called something entirely different Annual motorcycle run raising awareness for veteran suicide Emkao Foods wins 2025 Binghamton Business Plan Competition Bear crashes through ceiling of Kentucky home: 'Almost fell on my mom' RFK Jr. ends COVID shot recommendation for healthy kids, pregnant women Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
National Business Review
20-05-2025
- Business
- National Business Review
The Big Four banks are here to stay – maybe that's a good thing
The new chief executive at the ANZ Bank Group, Nuno Matos, is visiting New Zealand this week and already there is speculation in the Australian media that he is mulling an exit from the Kiwi market. The theory being advanced is that as a Portuguese-born executive coming from global bank HSBC, Matos
