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Former US Attorneys Warn of "Alarming Prospect" of Cianci Regaining City Hall

Corrente (left) and Whitehouse discuss their concerns about Cianci.
Credit Ian Donnis / RIPR
/
RIPR
Corrente (left) and Whitehouse discuss their concerns about Cianci.

Three of Rhode Island's top former federal prosecutors staged a news conference Tuesday to discuss Providence mayoral candidate Buddy Cianci's criminal record and their concerns about his latest attempt to win back control of City Hall.

One of the former US attorneys, Robert Clark Corrente, prefaced the remarks by noting how many voters were not in Providence or not of voting age when Cianci previously served as mayor. Corrente said the trio was speaking out to inform the electorate because, "Throughout this campaign and even before, Mr. Cianci has relentlessly minimized and even joked about the crimes that he committed while in office."

Corrente was joined by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a former US attorney, and through teleconference, former governor Lincoln Almond, also a former US attorney.

Corrente said that during his first administration, Cianci was convicted of "a violent beating," the notorious 1983 assault on Raymond DeLeo. The former prosecutor likened the election of a new mayor to a job-search process, and said most employers would never hire someone with two black marks on his record for a third assignment.

Cianci dismissed the criticism by the former prosecutors. "The fact of the matter is that none of them live in the City of Providence," he said. "They're not paying the high commercial tax rate that Providence residents are paying. Their wives are not going out at night to put garbage out and they're afraid to get mugged."

Cianci said the election "is about the city and it's future -- it's not about me."

Cianci has emphasized public safety, economic development and his past experience, as he competes with Democrat Jorge Elorza and Republican Daniel Harrop in the November 4 election to pick a new mayor.

More than 20 individuals from Cianci's first administration, from 1975 to 1984, were convicted of various offenses. Cianci, who won re-election as mayor in 1990, himself was sentenced to one count of racketeering conspiracy in 2002 -- a finding that he has characterized as unusual since he was acquitted of a string of related charges.

Yet Corrente said the judicial panel that rejected Cianci's appeal of the 2002 conviction wrote, "Cianci and his chief of administration were shown to have used their positions and influence to sell municipal favors on a continuing basis. The Court of Appeals said, 'There was detailed evidence placing Cianci in the middle of several of the racketeering acts.' And the Court of Appeals said, 'The defendants in Cianci were the beneficiaries of most if not all of the nine schemes designed to line Cianci's pockets as well as to maintain his political power.' " 

Almond noted that the judge who sentenced the former mayor, Ernest Torres, said Cianci was responsible for running City Hall as a criminal enterprise. Added Almond, "I think if you look at the extent of the corruption and the length of the corruption, I think his promises to be good in the future ring hollow."

Corrente said he does not consider Cianci to be remorseful or rehabilitated, despite assertions by the former mayor that he's learned from earlier mistakes.

Cianci said he's been humbled by mistakes he's make in his life. "I've paid the price and I've rebuilt my life," he said.

Whitehouse said Providence could face a tougher time winning federal grants if Cianci wins election, and he said corruption hurts the city's economy.

The news event was held at the law office of Lynch & Pine, operated by two former state attorneys general.

The US attorney who presided during the Plunder Dome prosecution of Cianci, Margaret "Meg" Curran, did not attend the news conference held by her former counterparts. They said it would have been inconsistent with her current role as the chair of the state Public Utilities Commission.

This post has been updated.

Copyright 2014 The Public's Radio

Ian Donnis has been the political reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio since 2009. The Washington Post has called him one of Rhode Island’s best political reporters. Besides reporting, Ian tweets at @IanDon, hosts RIPR’s weekly Political Roundtable, and contributes to the station’s On Politics blog.

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