The “first formerly undocumented judge in Rhode Island” abruptly resigned hours after the FBI raided his downtown Providence immigration law office on Thursday.
Central Falls Municipal Court Judge Joseph Molina Flynn was being investigated before President Trump’s return to the Oval Office and the raid is unrelated to his recent string of immigration-related executive orders, according to WPRI 12.
The reason for the raid has yet to be revealed by the agency.
Multiple black SUVs and Providence police cruisers were seen lined up outside the building where his office is located on Thursday.
Central Falls municipal judge Joseph Molina Flynn abruptly resigned Thursday shortly after FBI agents raided his law offices in downtown Providence. WPRI/YouTube
Footage posted on X by NBC 10 reporter Brian Crandall showed a Homeland Security agent and others entering the office during the raid.
Another video captured agents carrying out boxes filled with paperwork and computers wrapped in pink evidence bags.
Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera said the raid was “deeply concerning.”
“As the Central Falls community knows, transparency and accountability are priorities of mine,” the Central Falls mayor told WPRI 12. “In an effort to uphold the integrity and focus of the municipal court, Judge Molina Flynn has officially resigned his position.”
When Rivera was elected mayor in 2021, she also appointed Molina Flynn, who oversaw the city’s traffic calendar.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed that a court authorized the raid, but declined further comment. WJAR
Rivera said the Central Falls Municipal Court has temporarily appointed Associate Judge Robert McConnell to preside over cases following the resignation.
Rhode Island Courts spokesperson Lexi Kriss also told the outlet that “the Office of Disciplinary Counsel is aware of the raid and that the attorney has not been charged criminally at this point.”
A spokesperson for US Attorney Zachary Cunha’s office, Jim Martin, acknowledged “there is court-authorized activity at” his Providence law office, the Providence Journal reported.
However, he declined to elaborate further.
Two sources familiar with the matter claimed the investigation into Molina Flynn started before President Trump returned to the White House this week. WPRI
Molina Flynn was born in Medellin, Colombia, and arrived in the US on a tourist visa when he was 9 years old, according to his law firm’s website.
He obtained his “lawful permanent resident status and then his citizenship” after spending 15 years in the US as an undocumented immigrant.
Molina Flynn later attended Johnson and Wales University and the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor.
He founded Molina Flynn Law Offices in 2015 as a solo practitioner, focusing on immigration, family and criminal matters, and has a location in Boston and downtown Providence.
Molina Flynn’s bio also states that he is the “first gay person” appointed as the municipal court judge in Central Falls and the “first formerly undocumented Judge in Rhode Island.”
He also teaches “Crimmigration” as an adjunct professor at the Roger Williams University Law School.
