Retirement Board of Employees' Retirement System v. Diprete, 99-0206 (2000)

**The Dispute** This case involved Edward DiPrete, a former Rhode Island public employee, whose pension and retirement benefits were taken away after he was convicted of crimes related to his government job. DiPrete and his spouse Patricia challenged this decision in court, asking for a new trial to get his benefits restored. **The Court's Decision** The court sided with the Retirement Board and upheld its earlier ruling to revoke DiPrete's pension and retirement benefits. The judge denied both DiPrete's and his wife's requests for a new trial. However, the court did order that DiPrete should get back the $42,066.70 he had personally contributed to his retirement account, plus interest. **What This Means for Workers** This ruling shows that public employees can lose their pension benefits if they're convicted of crimes connected to their job, even after years of service. While workers won't get their employer-funded benefits back, they can typically recover their own contributions to the retirement system. This case demonstrates that criminal conduct in the workplace can have serious long-term financial consequences, potentially wiping out decades of earned retirement benefits for government workers.