UPDATE: Three North Providence Councilors Accused of Accepting Bribes
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Three North Providence town councilors have been charged with extortion and accepting a $25,000 bribe in return for their votes on a zoning change for the development of a supermarket, according to U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
“It gives me no pleasure to announce these charges,” Neronha said. “I say this because whenever public officials are charged with misusing their office for personal gain, such charges only add to the cynicism that many Rhode Islanders feel about their public officials, the vast majority of whom serve the public with dedication. That said, those of us in law enforcement, federal, state, and local, have a job to do, and we will continue to do it.”
Council President Joseph S. Birchfield, and Town Councilmen Raymond L. Douglas III and John A. Zambarano were arrested by the FBI earlier today.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn February 10, 2009, the three voted for a zoning change, permitting the construction of a supermarket on Plympton Street near Mineral Spring Avenue, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney. The town council vote was unanimous in favor of the change.
Prior to the vote, the three councilors had several meetings to plan “their actions and to affect payment of the bribe money,” the U.S. Attorney said. The bribe money was delivered by the developer's attorney to Zambarano the day after the Feb. 10 vote, according to the U.S. Attorney.
The developer began discussing the project with the town in summer 2008 and first presented it to the town council October 2008. The town council held several meetings before its vote on the zoning change.
Several state and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating the case, including the FBI, DEA, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and the Rhode Island State Police.
“The investigation leading to these charges has been ongoing for some time, and it continues,” Neronha said. “Anyone with knowledge related to the conduct alleged in the affidavits would do well to contact the FBI in the very near future.”
The three defendants were released on $50,000 unsecured bond after appearing in U.S. District Court yesterday.
