Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Mike Stanton
Journal staff writer

PROVIDENCE -- The defense continued to make its case this morning in the corruption trial of two former Roger Williams Medical Center executives.

The hospital's former president, Robert A. Urciuoli, and its former vice president, Frances P. Driscoll, are being tried in U.S. District Court on charges that they stole the honest services of former state Sen. John A. Celona by paying him to use his political muscle to benefit the hospital.

This morning one of the owners of The Village at Elmhurst, an assisted-living center affiliated with Roger Williams Medical Center, finished her testimony. Diane Sangermano, who took the stand yesterday, continued testifying about how Celona helped promote The Village at Elmhurst.

She was followed by Jennifer DeLuca, a marketing specialist for The Village at Elmhurst,
who testified that she met Celona at various functions to promote the assisted-living center, including tapings of the senator's cable access television show.

The jury is also hearing from Edward J. Quinlan, president of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island. Quinlan testified to Urciuolis' role as an officer in the association, known as H.A.R.I.

The defense is trying to show that Celona's dealings with Urciulo on hospital issues were permitted by Rhode Island ethics law since it pertained to general health care legislation.

Quinlan's testimony thus far has been punctuated by frequent objections by the prosecution as to relevance and long sidebar conferences with Chief U.S. District Judge Mary M. Lisi.

Quinlan is scheduled to return to the stand after the morning break.

DeLuca's testimony was interrupted to accommodate Quinlan's scheduled. She's expected to return to the stand after he's done.

Read about yesterday's testimony.

Read continuing coverage of the trial.

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