by Mike Stanton
Jack White of Channel 12 and Jim Taricani of Channel 10 were generous in sharing their knowledge of Providence, the Mafia, and Cianci’s early years, and also in providing tapes of key events, for which I am grateful. I’d also like to thank the Ocean State Follies’ Charlie Hall, the Providence Phoenix’s Rudy Cheeks, and WPRO’s Ron St. Pierre for their Buddy stories. Thanks also to Dan Yorke of WPRO for his assistance and copies of broadcast tapes. And thanks to Cherry Arnold of Big Orange Films for her encouragement, and best wishes for success with her Cianci documentary. I’d also like to thank Dick Lehr and Brian Mooney of The Boston Globe for their help and encouragement, and Evan Osnos of the Chicago Tribune.
I interviewed dozens of people who have known or worked for Buddy Cianci through the years, but some stand out. I appreciate the generous time and insights of Carol and Joe Agugiaro, Sharky Almagno, Paul Campbell, Buff Chace, Raymond DeLeo, Nick Easton, Stephen Fortunato, Ron Glantz, Wendy Materna, Bruce Melucci, John Palmieri, Normand Roussel, and Vin Vespia. There are others who wished to remain anonymous—you know who you are. Thank you. I would also like to thank the members of Cianci’s staff for their graciousness, particularly Beryl Kenyon, Linda Verhulst, and Pat Zompa. And thanks to Artin Coloian, who was helpful even though he was more intent on finding out what I knew than telling me everything he knew.
I’d like to thank Brian Andrews, retired detective commander of the Rhode Island State Police, for his help and for lunches at Mike’s Kitchen, and Bobby Stevenson for sharing his memories of his trip to Maryland with Cianci in pursuit of the lying priest. I’d also like to thank Mike Urso and Pete Benjamin, retired members of the Rhode Island State Police, and the current head of the state police, Colonel Steve Pare. Thanks also to East Providence police chief Gary Dias and Johnston police chief Richard Tamburini. I also appreciate the memories shared by retired Providence police officers Ted Collins, Jack Leyden, Howard Luther, and Vincent O’Connell. Jack Cicilline’s memories of the Doorley administration, the mob, and growing up in Providence enriched this book tremendously. I also appreciate all those who helped me understand the immigrant culture and ethnic politics that shaped Providence in the early and middle twentieth century, including Patrick Conley, Francis Darigan, Christopher and Ronald Del Sesto, Orlando Giansanti Jr., Vincent Igliozzi, Teresa Merolli, Ralph Pappito, Fred Santagata, and Michael Traficante. I’d like to thank Robert Ellis Smith for his recollections of Cianci’s years at Moses Brown, and the president of Moses Brown, Joanne Hoffman, and her gracious faculty and staff for their assistance. And thanks to Ken Orenstein and Cliff Wood for their perspectives on downtown redevelopment. Thanks also to Jim Barfoot and Paul Giaccobe.
I would like to thank several of the key figures in Operation Plunder Dome for their willingness to talk to me. Dennis Aiken shared his experiences investigating public corruption. Richard Rose talked about his life. Also, Steven Antonson, David Ead, Tony Freitas, and Joseph Pannone. Several of the lawyers were as helpful as they could be given the legal constraints of the case. I’d particularly like to thank Richard Bicki, Kevin Bristow, and Len O’Brien. And thanks to John DePetro of WHJJ radio and his lawyer, Joe Cavanagh.
Thanks to the talented Peter Goldberg for his wonderful Cianci photos. And thanks to the staffs of the William H. Hall Free Library in Cranston and the Providence Athenaeum for providing me sanctuary.
I’d also like to thank Michael Corrente for his enthusiasm and support.
I am indebted to three people who passed away during this project—Skip Chernov, Rosemary Glancy, and Victoria Lederberg.
Finally, I’m indebted to my sister, Ann, and brother-in-law, Kevin, for hanging in there through the tough times. This book is in memory of my parents, Mary and Earl, who taught me to seek the truth. It is dedicated to my wife, Susan, to whom I owe everything.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MIKE STANTON heads the investigative reporting team at The Providence Journal, Rhode Island’s leading newspaper. He has broken stories about mobsters, a crooked governor and a crooked Supreme Court judge, wayward cops and prosecutors, and sleazy bankers and developers. Stanton has also written for The Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, and The Boston Globe. He shared the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, exposing widespread corruption at the Rhode Island Supreme Court. In 1997, he received the Master Reporter Award, for career achievement, from the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. He has also won prizes from Investigative Reporters and Editors, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and the Associated Press. He is a graduate of Syracuse University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Stanton lives in Rhode Island with his wife, Susan Hodgin, and their two children.
COPYRIGHT © 2003 BY MIKE STANTON
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Random House and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.
Random House website address: www.atrandom.com
Title-page photograph by Michael Delaney, The Providence Journal
eISBN: 978-1-58836-292-6
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