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February 14, 2008

Oster trial: A fake $105,000 cashier's check

PROVIDENCE -- To help crack an alleged bribery scheme involving then-Lincoln Town Administrator Jonathan F. Oster, the State Police needed to show accused co-conspirator Robert R. Picerno the money.

So the State Police got a fake $105,000 cashier's check from Citizens Bank and gave it to David Wayne Daniel, a contractor working with authorities, to give to Picerno, according to testimony today by Officer Stephen Bannon, who at the time was sergeant in charge of the State Police Financial Crimes Unit.

That amount was what prosecutors accuse Picerno and Oster of attempting to get from two different potential buyers at different times for the town-controlled H&H Screw Co. property on Route 116 while also conspiring to get a bribe.

Oster, who served as town adminstrator from 2000 to 2002, in on trial in Providence County Superior Court, where he faces two bribery counts and two conspiracy counts. Picerno pleaded no contest in 2004 to four counts of taking, or trying to solicit, bribes, and three counts of conspiracy to solicit bribes.

Robert Gelfuso, who was a business partner with Daniel on a contract for a playground project in Lincoln, also cooperated with state police investigators, wearing recording devices to meetings when Picerno discussed his plan for Gelfuso to pay him and, the state says, Oster, $25,000 in exchange for getting what was a discount price on the Route 116 land.

Bannon also testified today as to how the State Police put together other money in cash that Daniel was to give Picerno. And he described how authorities set up listening devices and videotape equipment to record a meeting in Daniel's office that happened just before Picerno's arrest.

Bannon described visiting Lincoln Town Hall with some auditors to investigate a file concerning information about the property assessment of Picerno's Lincoln home.

Also today, the jury heard about a recorded telephone conversation Bannon had with Oster, Bannon testified, Oster denied that Picerno was involved in the H&H Screw Co. land and he described how the previous summer's deal with Lincoln car dealer Robert Campellone for the H&H Scre Co. property had fallen through.

And testimony today also covered how authorities set up a Feb. 16, 2002, meeting in Oster's law office. Oster was arrested after the meeting.

From today's Journal: Read about yesterday's testimony in the trial.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports form Journal staff writer John Hill

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 12:36 PM | Permalink

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