PROVIDENCE – A federal judge today sentenced Robert A. Urciuoli, the former president and CEO of Roger Williams Medical Center, to three years in prison for corruption.
In October, a federal jury convicted Urciuoli of conspiracy and 35 counts of mail fraud for paying former R.I. Sen. John A. Celona more than a quarter-million dollars between 1998 and 2004 in order to advance the hospital’s interests at the General Assembly.
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This morning, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary Lisi ordered Urciuoli to report to prison by June and pay a $30,000 fine. In addition, Lisi ordered Urciuoli to perform eight hours of community service each week for two years after he gets out of jail.
Urciuoli had asked for leniency based on the fact that the conviction has destroyed his career, but Lisi denied his request, WJAR-TV reported.
Frances P. Driscoll, the hospital’s former vice president, who was tried alongside Urciuoli, was acquitted of a similar charge.
Celona, who pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges in September 2005, recently completed a 30-month federal prison sentence and was transferred to a state prison in Rhode Island for the duration of his imprisonment.
Correction: The original version of this article said former R.I. Sen. John A. Celona was still serving a 30-month prison sentence; Celona has finished serving his federal sentence but is now completing his state sentence.
