Former Middletown Detective Sentenced To 18 Months In Jail

MIDDLETOWN, RI — A former Middletown police lieutenant was sentenced to five years, with 18 months to be served in prison, Wednesday after he was found guilty in February of altering police records and falsifying documents.

Former Lt. Richard Gamache, 52, was found guilty on 11 counts of intentional access, alteration, damage or destruction of computer data, and two counts of giving false documents to an agent, employee or public official.

Gamache was sentenced in Kent County Superior Court on Wednesday for the crimes related to helping his girlfriend qualify for public housing. He was also fined $2,200 and sentenced to concurrent time on two other misdemeanor charges.

"Police officers, like all public officials, must be held accountable when they abuse their public authority to serve their private interests," said Attorney General Peter Neronha. "Those who swear an oath to serve the public have a great responsibility to maintain public trust — a trust the defendant plainly violated here. I want to thank the Office's Public Integrity Unit and the Middletown Police Department for their strong work throughout the investigation and trial."

Gamache was found guilty of altering records to help his girlfriend secure Section 8 housing. That included submitting unauthorized letters using Middletown police letterhead to the Newport Housing Authority stating that she served as a confidential informant and was in "grave danger" if not granted the housing.

He was also found guilty of deleting her arrest records to help her pass a background check.

Middletown police began an internal investigation after Rhode Island State Police arrested Gamache and charged him with driving under the influence, as well as a domestic violence incident. Those charges were later dismissed, but the ensuing internal investigation led to the charges on document alteration and letter fraud.

Captain Jason Ryan, Detective Adam Tobias, and Detective Scott Naso of the Middletown Police Department led the investigation into the case. Assistant Attorney General John Moreira and Special Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Morin prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.

Related Patch Coverage: Former Middletown Detective Found Guilty Of Altering Records

Case Dismissed Against Middletown Officer Richard Gamache: AG