AP News, February 16th, 2007
A former state senator already headed to federal prison for corruption plans to plead no contest to state charges next week, his lawyer told The Associated Press on Friday.
John Celona is expected to enter the pleas Tuesday to one felony count of accepting money under false pretenses and a misdemeanor offense related to his work at Roger Williams Medical Center, lawyer William Dimitri said.
He already pleaded guilty to related charges in federal court, and was sentenced Jan. 31 to 2 1/2 years in prison for selling the influence of his office to Roger Williams Medical Center, CVS Corp. and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
Dimitri would not comment on what state sentence Celona will face but said it likely would run at the same time as the federal prison term, which begins March 2.
The state attorney general's office did not immediately release terms of the deal. Dimitri said he expected three other misdemeanor ethics violations against Celona to be dismissed.
Celona, a Democrat who resigned in 2004, has assisted federal investigators in a massive probe of Statehouse corruption and was the star witness last year in a trial that resulted in the convictions of two former Roger Williams executives.
Two ex-vice presidents of drugstore chain CVS Corp. have pleaded not guilty to federal fraud, conspiracy and bribery charges brought last month. Federal prosecutors say they are investigating seven politicians and seven corporations as a result of Celona's help.
Attorney General Patrick Lynch said it was Celona's right to enter a plea deal, but noted in a statement that "my office has long looked forward to holding Mr. Celona accountable for having violated the public trust and betrayed the faith of the people of Rhode Island."
