| Joseph Almeida | |
| State House: | Rhode Island |
| Term Start1: | 5 January 1999 |
| Term End1: | 4 January 2011 |
| Succeeded1: | Leo Medina |
| District: | 12th (Providence) |
| Term Start: | January 2015 |
| Term End: | January 5, 2021 |
| Preceded: | Leo Medina |
| Birth Date: | 23 September 1957 |
| Birthname: | Joseph S. Almeida, Jr. |
| Party: | Democrat |
| Children: | 5 |
| Residence: | Providence |
| Alma Mater: | Roger Williams College |
| Website: | http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/representatives/Almeida/Pages/Biography.aspx |
Joseph S. Almeida, Jr. (born September 23, 1957) is a Cape Verdean American politician who served as the Rhode Island State Representative for the 12th District from 2015 to 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Almeida was born on September 23, 1957, in Providence, Rhode Island.[1] He attended high school at the La Salle Academy, graduating in 1975, and majored with a Bachelor of Arts from the Roger Williams College in 1990. He is married and has 5 children.[2] In September 1997, Almeida retired as a Providence police officer.[3]
Almeida was a financial strategist and owned a bar prior to being first elected a Rhode Island State Representative, on November 3, 1998. Almeida kept his seat in the general assembly until September 14, 2010, when he lost to Leo Medina in the general election.[4] Almeida was elected again in November 2012 and returned to represent District 12.[5]
During his second term in office, Almeida was elected as the majority leader for the Democratic party on March 25, 2014.[6] Following his arrest in 2015, Almeida resigned from his position as party leader.
On February 10, 2015, Almeida was arrested and charged by Rhode Island State Police for misappropriating $6,122 in campaign funds for personal use. Almeida pleaded no contest.https://turnto10.com/archive/gallery/ri-lawmaker-pleads-no-contest-to-misusing-campaign-funds In a court hearing in May 2015, Almeida was given a $1,000 fine and a year on probation.[7]
On September 16, 1996, Almeida's wife Denise Welsey died at the Rhode Island Hospital from a pulmonary embolism. After his wife's death, Almeida filed a wrongful death claim against the hospital. The lawsuit was brought to trial in May 2003 and ended with a financial settlement of an estimated $200,000.[8]