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January 28, 2008

Ex-Lincoln official's trial on bribery charges begins

PROVIDENCE -- The trial of ex-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster on bribery and conspiracy charges began this afternoon as the prosecution and defense made opening arguments to the jury.

Prosecutor Bethany Macktaz laid out the state's case in Providence County Superior Court alleging that Oster and his former political ally and ex-Lincoln Planning Board member Robert Picerno had extorted money from two sets of would-be buyers of a piece of industrial property on George Washington Highway in Lincoln.

Macktaz said the state's evidence will show that Oster and Picerno twice tried to sell the land, which the town controlled, for $105,000 -- and a $25,000 bribe.

The defense contended that the only conspiracy was by Picerno and the state police against his client.

Defense lawyer C. Leonard O'Brien portrayed Picerno as a "personable scoundrel" and "a flim-flam man" who successfully plea-bargained his way out of more serious charges by implicating Oster in a plan that O'Brien said the town administrator knew nothing about.

The trial covers activities that allegedly occured while Oster was town administrator from 2000 to 2002. He was arrested in February 2002 on two counts of bribery and two count of conspiracy to commit bribery

The trial will resume tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

-- Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 4:56 PM | Permalink

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