Lawless Calls on Langevin to Return Tainted Contributions

WARWICK, RI – Jennifer Lawless, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s second congressional district, today called on Representative James R. Langevin to return the nearly $6,000 his campaign has received from the three individuals indicted this week in the Roger Williams Medical Center corruption scandal.

“Given all the corruption we’ve been seeing in politics lately, I hope my opponent will return the thousands of dollars he’s received from the individuals indicted in this corruption case,” said Lawless.

Representative Langevin accepted $750 from Robert Urciuoli, President of Roger Williams Medical Center; $2,500 from Frances P. Driscoll, former Vice-President of Roger Williams Medical Center; and $2,375 from Peter J. Sangermano Jr., former President of The Village at Elmhurst, an assisted living center owned by Roger Williams Medical Center.

All three individuals were indicted and face charges in connection with the corruption case. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to pay former Rhode Island State Senator John Celona more than $260,000 “to cause him to use his influence, power, and authority as a state senator to benefit the political and financial interests” of Roger Williams Medical Center. Urciuoli and Sangermano Jr. have each been charged with 36 counts of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy. Driscoll has been charged with two counts – one of honest services mail fraud and one of conspiracy.

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