A Providence woman has been charged in connection with falsifying nomination signatures during the 2023 First Congressional District Special Election. The announcement was made today by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Colonel Darnell S. Weaver.
Holly McClaren, 52, faces charges of two counts of falsely certifying nomination papers and two counts of filing false documents with a public official. The charges stem from an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Rhode Island State Police into allegations of fraudulent nomination signatures.
The Statewide Grand Jury returned a secret indictment on May 29, 2024, which led to the issuance of a warrant for McClaren. On May 31, she voluntarily appeared in Providence County Superior Court where the indictment was unsealed, and she was arraigned.
According to the allegations, between July 11 and July 13, 2023, McClaren knowingly falsified nomination papers and submitted them to the Jamestown and Newport Boards of Canvassers on behalf of then-candidate Sabina Matos.
McClaren is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on August 8, 2024.