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Journal photo / Bob Thayer |
Journal photo / Bob Thayer |
 Journal
photo / Frieda Squires |
 Journal
photo / Andrew Dickerman |
AP photo |
AP photo |
 Journal
photo/ Mary Murphy |
 Journal
photo / Andrew Dickerman |
 Journal
photo / Bob Thayer |
 Journal
photo / James J. Molloy |
Journal photo / Mary Murphy |
AP photo |
Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman |
Journal photo / James J. Molloy |
 AP
photo |
 Police
photo |
Journal photo / James J. Molloy |
Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman |
 AP
photo -- CHECK |
 Journal
photo / Connie
Grosch |
 Journal
photo / Mary Murphy |
 AP
photo |
Journal photo / Mary
Murphy
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Journal photo / Mary
Murphy |
Journal photo / Mary
Murphy |
Journal photo / Mary
Murphy |
Journal photo / Mary
Murphy |
Journal photo / Gretchen
Ertl |
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April
28, 1999: Operation
Plunder Dome bursts into public view when the FBI arrests the chairman and
vice chairman of the Providence Board of Tax Assessment Review, and seizes
documents from five Providence City Hall offices. Federal prosecutors charge
tax board chairman Joseph A. Pannone and vice chairman David C. Ead with
laundering money to facilitate the acceptance of bribes for property-tax
reductions. A businessman, Antonio R. Freitas, emerges as the FBI's star
witness, having secretly recorded more than 100 conversations with city
officials, a number of whom, according to court papers, had accepted bribes.
Pannone and Ead plead not guilty to the charges. At a press conference that
same day Cianci says that he has nothing to do with the scandal: "You're
not going to find any stains on this jacket." 
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May
27, 1999: The
federal investigation widens with the indictment of Deputy Tax Assessor
Rosemary H. Glancy on charges of attempted extortion; conspiracy, and mail
fraud. Pannone and Ead are indicted on the same charges.
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July
29, 1999: Chief
U.S. District Judge Ronald R. Lagueux turns down a request from The Providence
Journal to release a 94-page affidavit detailing the alleged corruption
in City Hall. He says that divulging its contents could thwart a grand-jury
investigation by identifying possible targets. |
Sept.
21, 1999: The
federal grand jury indicts City Tax Collector Anthony E. Annarino on conspiracy,
attempted extortion and mail-fraud charges. The grand jury also accuses
Pannone of conspiring with Annarino to wipe out interest charges on late
property-tax payments. He pleads not guilty to the charges. He is show above
in an August 2000 photo. |
Nov.
24, 1999: John
A. Scungio, a Providence lawyer, agrees to cooperate in the corruption
probe and plead guilty to a charge of lying to FBI agents.
Dec.
2, 1999: Scungio
pleads guilty; sentencing is set for Feb. 23, 2000.
He is shown above in
an October 2000 photo.
|
Dec.
6, 1999: Pannone
pleads guilty to 14 felony charges and agrees to cooperate. He is shown
above at his June 1999 arraignment on the charges.
Jan.
14, 2000: The
authorities revoke Pannone's plea agreement, saying he has failed to fully
cooperate. His guilty plea stands.
|
Jan.
19, 2000: Lawyer
Angelo A. Mosca Jr. agrees to plead guilty to extortion charges and cooperate
with the government. Meanwhile, a judge schedules jury selection in the
trial of Ead and Glancy to begin on Feb. 28. Mosca follows through on the
guilty plea on March 3, 2000, above.
|
Feb.
14, 2000: David
C. Ead, vice chairman of the tax board, pleads guilty to arranging bribes
with an unnamed "high-ranking city of Providence executive." |
March
17, 2000: A
federal jury finds Rosemary Glancy guilty on two counts of attempted extortion,
two counts of conspiracy and three counts of mail fraud. She is sentenced
to 33 months in prison.
|
May
11, 2000: Freitas,
the star witness in the investigation, is accused of assaulting his estranged
wife and is sent to prison for violating a no-contact order the court set
after incidents earlier in the year. A week later, he is sentenced to 10
days in prison, 60 days of home confinement and 21 months on probation.
|
June
29, 2000:
Frank
E. Corrente, former director of administration for Mayor Vincent A. Cianci
Jr., is indicted on nine federal counts of attempted extortion, conspiracy,
and mail fraud. His codefendant is Pannone, the ex-chairman of the Providence
Board of Tax Assessment Review.
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July
7, 2000: Pannone,
77, is sentenced to five years in prison; Glancy gets 33 months. On July
24, 2000, Pannone, above, was formally charged in federal court on nine
new counts of attempted extortion, conspiracy and mail fraud for allegedly
taking bribes from Antonio R. Freitas.
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Aug.
8, 2000: Annarino
is sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for pocketing bribes in exchange
for waiving interest on property taxes.
|
Oct.
3, 2000:
Scungio
leaves court after he is sentenced to six months' home confinement and fined
$40,000.
|
Oct.
6, 2000: U.S.
District Court Judge Ronald R. Lagueux erases Glancy's sentence -- she is
suffering from liver and kidney failure -- and allows her to return to Rhode
Island to die near her family. She is shown above after her conviction in
March 2000.
|
Dec.
22, 2000: The
East Providence police arrest Freitas, the star witness, on charges that
he assaulted his former girlfriend, Lori Ribeiro. Freitas had been arrested
three times earlier in the year on domestic violence charges involving his
estranged wife, including on April 26, after which the photo above was taken.
|
Jan.
12, 2001:
Glancy,
48, dies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Her funeral, above,
was on Jan. 17.
|
Jan.
24, 2001: Freitas
admits to violating the terms of his probation when he was charged with
assaulting his former girlfriend. He is sentenced to four months in prison
and ordered to spend eight months on home confinement.
|
April
2, 2001:
A
federal grand jury indicts Cianci, Corrente, Pannone, businessman Richard
E. Autiello and Edward E. Voccola in a racketeering case that encompass
30 criminal counts. Artin H. Coloian, Cianci's chief of staff, is charged
with engaging in a bribery conspiracy. Cianci is shown above at a March
14, 2000, press conference.
|
June
26 , 2001:
A
federal judge fines and suspends Richard W. Rose, the lead prosecutor in
the case, for showing a secret FBI surveillance tape of Frank E. Corrente,
Cianci's former top aide, taking a cash bribe, from Freitas. |
March
7, 2002:
U.S.
District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres rules that Cianci's chief of staff
Coloian will be tried separately after Cianci and the four others stand
trial. |
March
15, 2002:
Pannone,
shown above at a 1999 arraignment, pleads guilty to six racketeering and
extortion-related charges stemming from the Cianci indictment.
|
April
17, 2002:
Amid a whirlwind of media attention Cianci arrives with his lawyer Richard
M. Egbert at U.S. District Court in downtown Providence as jury selection
begins in the trial of Cianci and three others. The group of eight men
and four women is impaneled two days later.
|
April
22, 2002:
Trial begins with the government calling as its first witness, David E.
Ead, vice chairman of the Providence Board of Tax Assessment Review. Above,
Ead arrives at court. He testifies that he arranged $25,000 in bribes to
Cianci. |
June
4, 2002:
Judge Torres throws out the racketeering charges against Edward E. Voccola,
above, ruling that the government has not proven that he was part of an
alleged criminal enterprise at Providence City Hall. |
June
11, 2002:
Cianci stops to talk to photographers as he arrrives at court. Closing arguments
are heard in the case following seven weeks of testimony that featured 1,000
exhibits and more than 50 witnesses. |
June
12, 2002:
Jury
begins deliberations. Cianci
arrives at court for the charging of the jury. |
June
24, 2002:
On the ninth day of deliberations, the 12-member jury finds Mayor Vincent
A. Cianci Jr., Frank E. Corrente, and Richard E. Autiello guilty of racketeering
conspiracy. Corrente is also found guilty of five other counts, including
bribery conspiracy and attempted extortion. Autiello is also found guilty
of two counts of bribery conspiracy. Judge Torres sets sentencing for
Sept. 6. Above, Cianci is seen leaving federal court with his attorney,
Richard Egbert.
--
Timeline compiled by Journal staff and projo.com
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