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May 23, 2008

CVS trial: Ex-PR chief recalls preparing 'talking points'

PROVIDENCE -- CVS's former communications director testified today that when he learned John A. Celona was a paid consultant of the giant Woonsocket-based drugstore chain, he devised a title and prepared "talking points" to explain Celona's duties in case a reporter ever called to ask about it.

Todd Andrews, now vice president of alumni relations at Brown University, testified in federal court that defendant Carlos Ortiz told him about Celona early in 2001, about one year after the then-North Providence senator went on the CVS payroll as a $1,000-a-month consultant.

Andrews said that Ortiz raised the issue during a "gripe session" about his boss, John R. "Jack" Kramer.

Ortiz and Kramer are on trial on charges of bribing Celona -- who is now serving a 2½-year prison sentence in Pennsylvania and is the government's star witness -- to push the drugstore chain's legislative agenda at the State House.

"He told me that Mr. Celona was acting as a P.R. consultant for CVS, that he was going to senior centers and talking to seniors about services they were getting from CVS," Andrews said of Ortiz.

Ortiz also told Andrews that Celona helped prepare Kramer for appearances on Celona's cable access television show.

"He told me that Celona had an Ethics Commission ruling that made that work permissable," Andrews said.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton

Extra: Our continuing report on this trial and on the Operation Dollar Bill corruption probe

Ortiz also said, according to Andrews, that Celona was providing reports "accounting for what he was doing for the company."

At the end of the conversation, Andrews said, Ortiz asked him: "please don't tell anyone."

Andrews testified that he went back to his office and developed written talking points, later approved by Ortiz, that described Celona's duties. Andrews said that he also gave Celona a title -- community outreach specialist.

Earlier today, a former CVS vice president, Jim Smith, testified that when he took over the CVS government affairs department in spring 2003, he conducted a budget review and asked Ortiz about Celona's consulting agreement.

"I asked Carlos, 'Are we getting any value for that?' and he said no. So I recommended that we terminate him," Smith said.

Celona was terminated later that summer.

Ortiz and Kramer are accused of 23 counts of bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud for allegedly hiring Celona as a consultant from 2000 to 2003 to do the company's bidding. The defense, however, says Celona did legitimate community outreach, promoting CVS and its charitable endeavors to senior citizens.

Read Journal coverage of yesterday's trial developments, as Celona spent his fourth and final day on the witness stand.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 11:39 AM | Permalink

May 23, 2008

CVS trial: Ex-PR chief recalls preparing 'talking points'

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