Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

BOSTON, MASS. -- A magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Thursday agreed to hear disgraced lawyer John M. Cicilline's arguments for why he should win early release from prison Nov. 19.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Collings granted Cicilline's motion for a speedy hearing before the court.

Cicilline, 52, the older brother of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, is due to be freed on supervised release in Rhode Island Feb. 8, 2010, after he serves 41 days in a halfway house in Massachusetts. He is being held at a federal medical center in Fort Devens, Mass., north of Worcester.

Casting himself as an anguished father on the brink of losing his home, Cicilline, who has been disbarred, asked U.S. District Court in Massachusetts in September for immediate release. He argued that he had a job opportunity that would be available only for a short period and that early release would better situate him to save his Narragansett house from foreclosure and provide for his three teenage daughters.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Massachusetts opposed Cicilline's motion last month, saying the courts are not empowered to review the bureau's inmate-placement decisions. Federal law gives the bureau alone the discretion to place prisoners as it sees fit, the government said.

 Tags  court John M. Cicilline Mayor David N. Cicilline Providence

Comments

Jo said:

Why should this disgrace of a person be let out early? He should have though about the effects his actions would have on his family BEFORE he decided to shake down drug dealers - I thought he was supposed to be an "intelligent" person, after all he is an attorney which requires some learning ability (or did his well-known syndicate-connected father find a way to buy that for him?)

Link | November 5, 2009 1:16 PM
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zman07 said:

Oh here we go. The old "woe is me" ploy.

What job is waiting for him? Providence town hall janitor? Oh wait. That's patronage. But then again, not fer nuttin', this is RI.

Link | November 5, 2009 2:10 PM
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Anthony said:

Poor John, needs to get out early to take advantage of a job opportunity. He had a job, a good job, but he betrayed his position and should
be held fully accountable.
People of his ilk think they are above the law. Without a doubt his politically connected brother is working behind the scenes to get him released. There are two sets of rules in this country and it is disgusting.

Link | November 5, 2009 9:20 PM
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ouch said:

this guy clearly has little regard for his family, including his brother. Otherwise he wouldn't be in this position in the first place.

Link | November 5, 2009 11:52 PM
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