Around the same time that CVS extended his consulting agreement, Celona testified, he also had discussions with Ortiz and CVS’s then-public relations person, Todd Andrews, about his job description.

"Now that I was chairman of the committee, I needed to have a title in case anything came up,’’ said Celona.

Asst. U.S. Atty. Stephen G. Dambruch produced an e-mail exchange between Ortiz and Celona in January 2001.

"If anyone asks what you do for CVS,’’ wrote Ortiz, "you should identify yourself as a Community Service Consultant. How does that sound to you?’’

The defense argues that CVS hired Celona not for any political favors but for help promoting the drugstore chain’s charitable endeavors, including the CVS Charity Golf Classic, on his cable-access television show. But Celona testified that that was never discussed when he was hired, and Dambruch pointed to his consulting agreement, which made no mention of that.

Instead, Celona testified, he took the initiative to have Kramer on his show twice in 2000 to talk about the CVS golf tournament and also its Downtown 5K road race in Providence. Celona said that he did so to justify the $1,000 a month he was being paid –– "because I wasn’t doing anything else.’’

Celona testified that Kramer first broached the possibility of the senator working for CVS at a political fundraiser for Sen. Michael McCaffrey, D-Warwick, at a Knights of Columbus in Warwick, in the spring of 2000.

"`We sat down and started talking,’’ said Celona.

"We discussed CVS and how I was active in the community with seniors and that CVS could use another consultant,’’ testified Celona.

That led to a meeting at CVS headquarters on July 8, 2000, with Kramer and Ortiz, during which the two CVS executives talked about him becoming a consultant. Ortiz mentioned Celona’s work among senior citizens and said "that I could be an asset to CVS,’’ testified Celona.

Celona followed up with a written proposal, which he said Kramer requested, and that led to another meeting at CVS headquarters on Jan. 7, 2001, at which Kramer said, "We’d like to have you on board,’’ according to Celona’s testimony.

Celona said that Ortiz asked him whether he had received an opinion from the Rhode Island Ethics Commission regarding the propriety of the senator working for CVS. As a result, Celona said that he contacted someone at the commission –– he didn’t remember who –– and received a verbal okay. But he added that he didn’t identify CVS as his prospective employer.

"I didn’t want to publicize my change in position (on pharmacy choice) so quickly from being an adamant opponent to supporting it overnight,’’ said Celona. ``I thought it would hurt my credibility. The public might feel that it was because I was being paid.’’

Celona also testified about a luncheon he attended at CVS with about eight other senators in March 2000, shortly after becoming a CVS consultant. The government introduced the senator’s calendar to show the noontime meeting. The Senate normally meets later in the afternoon, but not on Mondays.

Instead, Celona had another appointment written in after the CVS lunch –– a stress test.

The trial has wrapped up for the day. Celona, considered the prosecution's star witness, will return to the stand tomorrow and is likely to continuing testifying for several days.

-- Journal staff writer Mike Stanton