Rhode Island police proceed with lawmaker questioning in 38 Studios case

Rhode Island lawmakers are being interviewed by state police officers as part of the ongoing investigation of former baseball player Curt Schilling's video game company 38 Studios, WPRI 12 Eyewitness News reports.

Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said he was questioned about "certain individuals" in the case. Mattiello served as a majority leader under former House Speaker Gordon Fox during the vote for a loan guaranty program that granted $75 million to 38 Studios.

"I gave them background relative to my tenure in the general assembly, what committees I've served on," Mattiello said. "I gave them background on ... what I knew relative to 38 Studios which was more or less after acquired information."

Speaking with the Providence Journal, a spokesperson for Mattiello said the House Speaker was asked about the passage of the loan guaranty program in 2010.

"They spoke on the telephone for about 10 minutes ... [And] as he has stated publicly before, he told them he had no knowledge that the loan guaranty program was going to be used for 38 Studios," spokesman Larry Berman said.

Mattiello said that he is not a target of the investigation.

In June, reports surfaced that police officers would begin interviewing the lawmakers involved with the job creation plan that resulted in the $75 million state-backed loan given to 38 Studios. Mattiello was among those contacted. At the time, state police head Col. Steven O'Donnell said that no one is suspected of outright wrongdoing "because of their vote."

38 Studios declared bankruptcy and closed its doors in 2012. The state of Rhode Island now owes more than $89 million for the 38 Studios bond, approved by the former Economic Development Corp. in 2012. The company is suing Schilling and 13 others, stating the board was misled.

You can read more on the history of 38 Studios and its closing in our StoryStream.