Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE -- At the trial of two former Roger Williams Medical Center executives accused of buying the honest services of a former state senator, a federal prosecutor this morning introduced letters from the former senator to the executives.

Prosecutor Dulce Donovan, an assistant U.S. attorney, brought the letters into evidence while she questioned Sheila Capobianco, longtime executive assistant to Robert Urciuoli when he was president of the medical center.

Urciuoli and another former hospital executive, Frances Driscoll, are charged with stealing the honest services of John Celona by hiring him as a consultant to do their political bidding.

In a February 2000 letter from Celona to Driscoll, Celona informed Driscoll that he had attached a letter from the Rhode Island Affiliate of the AFL-CIO objecting to a hospital merger.

"Would there be an objection for my opposing such?," Celona wrote.

In a July 27, 1999 letter to Driscoll, Celona wrote about going to the State House and researching the availability of the minutes to a hearing on the Lifespan/Care New England merger "as you directed."

After the morning break, a lawyer representing Urciuoli, Michael J. Connolly, cross-examined Capobianco.

Connolly said, "You were asked if you kept a file on any other legislator. Do you know if any other members of the General Assembly had a consulting contract with Roger Williams Medical Center or its affiliates?"

"Not that I can recall," Capobianco said.

Connolly pointed out that one of the documents that prosecutors are using as an exhibit was copied to a range of public officials.

"Did you understand there was something secret about this document?" Connolly asked.
"No," Capobianco replied.

"In fact," Connolly said, "without going through all of these pieces of paper, did Mr. Urciuoli ever say to you, 'Don't talk about this dealing with Mr. Celona.'? "

"No," Capobianco replied.

A lawyer representing Driscoll, Larry Tipton, asked if Driscoll ever asked Capobianco to destroy a document or to not talk about Celona.

"No," Capobianco replied.

Tipton asked if Driscoll "expressed reservations about hiring Mr. Celona."

"Yes," Capobianco replied.

In the fall of 2006, Urciuoli and Driscoll were tried and convicted, but the First Circuit of Appeals in Boston overturned the verdict, saying the trial judge erred in his instructions to the jury. The case was sent back to U.S. District Court, Providence, for a second trial that began this week.

Read about yesterday's trial testimony.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick.

 Tags  John Celona Robert Urciuoli Roger Williams Medical Center

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