PROVIDENCE -- The administrative assistant to former CVS executive John R. “Jack” Kramer spent the day testifying in federal court about entries in her boss’s daybook calendar and social activities with leading state politicians.
Prosecutors are seeking to show that two former executives of the giant CVS drugstore chain, Kramer and co-defendant Carlos Ortiz, bribed influential former state Sen. John Celona when they hired hm as a $1,000-a-month consultant to wield his influence to push Woonsocket-based CVS’s State House legislative agenda.
Mary Jane McCusker calmly answered questions from Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch today about more than a dozen exhibits that noted Kramer’s meetings with Celona.
McCusker told the court that Kramer enjoyed appearing on Celona’s cable television program. She said that he kept "a drawer-full’’ of videocassettes of himself making televised appearances.
"Jack would have copies of the tapes and he would show them in his office,’’ she said, adding that he would invite CVS employees in to watch the tapes with him.
Prosecutor Stephen G. Dambruch entered an exhibit showing that CVS had four choice tables for state dignitaries at the June 2002 gala at the Rhode Island Convention Center that preceded the CVS Charity Golf Classic.
Celona and his wife, Karleen, were seated at a table with Kramer. At an adjacent table was Tom Ryan, the chief executive officer and the some of the state’s then-most powerful politicians: Senate Majority Leader William V. Irons, House Speaker John B. Harwood and Gerard M. Martineau, the House majority leader.
At one point today, the government introduced as an exhibit a letter on CVS stationery that Kramer sent Celona.
``Thank you so much for sending me the tape of our interview,’’ Kramer wrote. ``You are a great friend to CVS. Your new studios are fantastic.’’
The letter was dated June 10, 2002. At the time, CVS was paying Celona as a consultant.
McCusker wrapped up her testimony today with some levity. Kramer’s lawyer peppered her with a series of questions asking her whether Kramer ever concealed Celona’s consulting job with CVS or ever lied about the arrangement. She said no.
``Did he ever ask you to lie about anything?’’ lawyer David B. Fein asked.
``Once,’’ McCusker answered.
``What was that?’’
``His age,’’ she said.
Kramer’s families and friends in the courtroom erupted in laughter.
McCusker was followed by Betty Bibeault, a longtime CVS employee and former administrative assistant to Ortiz. She is expected to return to the witness stand tomorrow.
More on McCusker's testimony this morning.
Coverage of yesterday's testimony -- and courthouse power outage.
Our continuing report on Operation Dollar Bill.
-- Journal staff writer W. Zachary Malinowski and projo.com staff writer Michael
P. McKinney
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Celona is serving a 2 1/2-year prison term after pleading guilty to selling his office to CVS, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the Roger Williams Medical Center. Under agreement with prosecutors, Celona is expected to testify as the government’s main witness in the projected four-week trial.
The defense argues Celona was hired to promote the drugstore chain’s community image, given his contacts among the elderly and his cable-access television show that often had Kramer as a guest.
In February, as part of the ongoing federal Operation Dollar Bill investigation of which the current CVS trial is a part, Martineau was sentenced to three years and a month in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to two felony charges of depriving Rhode Islanders of the right to honest service -- for $891,500 worth of paper-and plastic-bag contracts from the CVS drugstore chain and Blue Cross.
At his sentencing, a prosecutor said that Martineau has agreed to testify against Kramer and Ortiz. It is not known whether he will be called as a witness in the trial that is expected to last at least three more weeks.
Yesterday, jurors heard some testimony, even with courthouse power interruptions that postponed the trial's resumption to today: notably that Celona in 2002, by then on CVS' payroll for two years, contacted Kramer, who got Celona and his wife tickets to the Chicago-taped Oprah Winfrey Show.
McCusker testified yesterday that she took Celona's call and forwarded his request to Kramer. She said Celona wanted to take his wife to the popular show's taping as a Christmas gift.
McCusker said Kramer told her to call Lisa Churchville, Rhode Island NBC affiliate Channel 10's general manager -- the channel that broadcasts Oprah.
McCusker also testified she met Celona at CVS headquarters for a luncheon meeting with Kramer in summer 1999. Prosecutors say it's during that time period that Celona, Kramer and Ortiz started talking about the senator possibly becoming a CVS consultant. She also testified she later learned Celona was a paid CVS consultant but that nobody told her what he did in that role.
“The most he did, from my perspective,” she said yesterday, “was the taping of his TV shows."
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