In the Matter of Joseph Molina Flynn, Esq.

• Court: Supreme Court of Rhode Island
• Decided: October 7, 2025
• Docket: 2025-0307-M.P.
• Status: Published

Opinion

Supreme Court

No. 2025-307-M.P.

In the Matter of Joseph Molina : Flynn, Esq. :

ORDER

On October 6, 2025, the Court’s Chief Disciplinary Counsel filed an

Emergency Petition for Immediate Interim Suspension and for the Appointment of

Disciplinary Counsel as Special Master pursuant to Article III, Rule 5(b)(6) of the

Supreme Court Rules. The Petition avers, among other facts with supporting

evidence, the following:

1. The Respondent, Joseph Molina Flynn, Esq., is currently an active

attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Rhode Island.

2. For the majority of time relevant hereto, the Respondent-Attorney

operated his law practice as a solo practitioner and his legal services primarily

concentrated on immigration law, with a small percentage dedicated to criminal and

family law matters.

3. On or about May 12, 2025, Chief Disciplinary Counsel filed a Petition

for Discipline against the Respondent-Attorney involving twelve (12) former clients

alleging, inter alia, that the Respondent-Attorney took legal fees from clients,

-1- performed little or no services, neglected client files, misappropriated client funds,

co-mingled client funds, was uncooperative with the reasonable requests of

Disciplinary Counsel during the investigation into the disciplinary complaints, and

made misrepresentations to Disciplinary Counsel.

4. The Respondent-Attorney is currently under a multi-agency federal

criminal investigation involving financial crimes including the Providence Police

Department, Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service

(“IRS”) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”).

5. Additionally, the Respondent-Attorney has outstanding federal tax

liens filed in Suffolk County, Massachusetts from the tax years ending in 2009, 2010,

and 2011. Upon information and belief, the Respondent-Attorney has not filed state

or federal income taxes since 2011.

6. On or about January 23, 2025, members of the Providence Police, along

with federal agents with Homeland Security, the IRS, and the FBI executed a search

warrant of the Respondent-Attorney’s law office.

7. The Respondent-Attorney has not complied with Disciplinary

Counsel’s request for assurances that the Respondent-Attorney is safeguarding

advance client fees in a trust account, that the Respondent-Attorney designate

someone to oversee his IOLTA management, and that the Respondent-Attorney

establish a transition plan for when his federal criminal case is concluded.

-2- 8. A review of the Respondent-Attorney’s BankRI recent bank records

demonstrates that he is co-mingling client funds with his business checking account.

9. As of the date of this Petition, the Respondent-Attorney knows he is

under criminal investigation.

10. As of the date of this Petition, the Respondent-Attorney is still actively

practicing law and receiving client funds for services that will likely not be able to

be completed by him, due to the ongoing criminal investigation.

11. As of the date of this Petition, the Respondent-Attorney has not

provided sufficient assurances to Disciplinary Counsel about the management his

IOTLA and client funds or the operations of his law practice.

12. Thus, there is an immediate need to protect the public from the

Respondent-Attorney’s further misuse of client funds.

The Emergency Petition came before a single justice of this Court, sitting as

Duty Justice. After consideration of this Emergency Petition and the Respondent-

Attorney’s response thereto, the following is ordered:

1. In furtherance of protecting the public and maintaining the integrity of

the legal profession, it is ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the Respondent-

Attorney, Joseph Molina Flynn, Esq., is hereby suspended from the practice of law

in this state on a temporary basis, effective immediately and until further order of

this Court.

-3- 2. Effective immediately and until further order of this Court, Chief

Disciplinary Counsel is appointed as temporary Special Master and is hereby

authorized to take possession of the Respondent-Attorney’s client files to inventory

same and to take whatever steps deemed necessary to protect the clients’ interests,

including but not limited to returning the files to the clients or new counsel of each

client’s choice. Disciplinary Counsel as temporary Special Master is hereby

authorized to have full, unfettered access to the Respondent-Attorney’s former office

and files in order to carry out her duties, and the Respondent-Attorney is ordered to

fully cooperate in providing her with this access.

3. Regarding the Respondent-Attorney’s banking accounts, the Special

Master is given sole and exclusive access to the following accounts heretofore

controlled by the Respondent-Attorney, either solely or jointly: business and

operating accounts; trust accounts, including special trust accounts; clients’

accounts; estate accounts; and, any and all other accounts related to the Respondent-

Attorney’s law practice that he uses presently or has in the past utilized for the

deposit and maintenance of fiduciary and/or clients’ funds and fee advances. The

foregoing list of accounts shall also include any accounts where the Respondent-

Attorney serves as an agent, special agent, trustee, personal representative, executor,

power of attorney, or custodian. The Special Master shall have sole control over

these above-described accounts, to the exclusion of the Respondent-Attorney, until

-4- further order of this Court. By this Order, the Court prohibits the Respondent-

Attorney or any of his agents from withdrawing or transferring funds from the

aforementioned accounts.

4. Disciplinary Counsel’s Emergency Petition and the Respondent-

Attorney’s response thereto will be further considered by the full Court at its

conference on October 9, 2025.

Entered as an Order of this Court this 7th day of October 2025.

By Order,

/s/ Meredith A. Benoit Clerk

-5- STATE OF RHODE ISLAND SUPREME COURT – CLERK’S OFFICE Licht Judicial Complex 250 Benefit Street Providence, RI 02903

ORDER COVER SHEET

Title of Case In the Matter of Joseph Molina Flynn, Esq.

Case Number No. 2025-307-M.P.

Date Order Filed October 7, 2025

Suttell, C.J., Goldberg, Robinson, Lynch Prata, and Justices Long, JJ.

Source of Appeal N/A

Judicial Officer from Lower Court N/A

For Petitioner:

Kerry Reilley Travers, Esq. Attorney(s) on Appeal Chief Disciplinary Counsel For Respondent:

Holly Rao, Esq.

SU-CMS-02B (revised November 2022)