5 Things to Know About Mattiello Consultant Jeff Britt’s Trial
GoLocalProv News Team
5 Things to Know About Mattiello Consultant Jeff Britt’s Trial
SEE THE LIST OF THE PLAYERS IN THE TRIAL HERE
The stakes are high, but not just for the defendant Jeff Britt.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAttorney General Peter Neronha announced on October 18, 2019, that Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello's political consultant Britt was indicted by a State Grand Jury on two charges — felony money laundering and a misdemeanor charge of making a prohibited campaign contribution.
The felony money laundering charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years.
These charges are tied to a mailer sent in the coordination of the Mattiello campaign by a third party funded by Britt.
The trial could set the future fortunes for the Speaker Mattiello who is in a difficult reelection battle with Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung. In addition, top State House powerbrokers including Mattiello’s chief of staff Leo Skenyon and once a progressive organizer blogger and now insider and corporate lobbyist Matt Jerzyk will come under the microscope during the trial.
For Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, this is his highest-profile case since he was elected.
This case is ever-changing. The Attorney Generals's office was turning over discovery items to the defense as late as this week. And, some players were changing lawyers at the last minute.
Here Is What You Need to Know - See Below
5 Things to Know About Mattiello Consultant Jeff Britt’s Trial
Mattiello Won’t Answer If He Has Been Subpoenaed By Neronha
The usually accessible Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello is refusing to answer if he has been subpoenaed by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's prosecutors.
His campaign spokeswoman Patti Doyle has refused to respond to the question.
Neronha's Legacy
The Britt trial is the first high profile test for Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Neronha ran for the AG's office on a platform saying he would "continue to take on public officials who violate their oath and choose to serve themselves rather than the public, hurting Rhode Island’s economic growth in the process."
But, the Britt case started under Kilmartin and the indictment from the grand jury was levied on the final days before the statute of limitations expired.
Neronha says today on his campaign website that, "As U.S. Attorney, I made public corruption our top priority, and we brought case after case against politicians who violated their oath. Three North Providence City Councilmen.The Mayor of Central Falls. The Speaker of the House of Representatives. The House Finance Chair. And others."
But, in nearly two years as Attorney General, he has no significant public corruption prosecutions.
Matt Jerzyk - Transformation From Progressive Blogger to State House Corporate Lobbyist
Matt Jerzyk, who once was considered the voice of the progressive movement in Rhode Island and launched the defunct RI Future blog, is now a State House lobbyist representing the likes of Bank of America and Twin River Casino.
Last week it was unveiled that in 2016 Jerzyk attended a campaign meeting with both Jeff Britt and another Mattiello political consultant Ed Cotugno.
According to the filling by the Attorney General’s office, the office reinterviewed Cotugno, and new documents show that Cotugno said in a meeting in 2016 to discuss funding a mailer by Shawna Lawton in support of Mattiello, Jerzyk was involved in discussing how to fund the mailer.
“On September 28, 2020, Mr. Cotugno and his attorney Emili Viziri met with prosecutors and the RISP to prepare for his trial testimony. Mr. Cotugno recalled the conversation that transpired outside of Speaker Mattiello’s headquarters in October 2016 with Britt and Jerzyk, Britt had asked to speak with Cotogno. Britt indicated that they were 'trying to make nice' with Shawna Lawton,” states the document.
Will We Find Out the Status of the Grand Jury on the Convention Center
Prior to the coronavirus, numerous top state officials tied to Speaker Nick Mattiello were subpoenaed for a grand jury convened to look at Mattiello's ordering of the Rhode Island Convention Center audit.
In February, Mattiello said that he had “nothing to do” with the grand jury convened to investigate his ordering of an audit of the Rhode Island Convention Center.
At the time, top Mattiello staffers Leo Skenyon and Frank Montanaro were appearing before a grand jury as it related to Mattiello ordering the audit, which members of the Convention Center Authority board called political retribution after a close friend of Mattiello’s — James Demers — was placed on leave.
“It’s a process I have zero to do with,” Mattiello told GoLocal's News Editor Kate Nagle, before speaking at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce lunch in February. “Someone else makes those determinations, they’re free to do whatever they think is appropriate under the circumstances. I leave them to their good judgment and I do my job each and every day.”
In January, Mattiello ordered the audit after close friend James Demers, who had been a security director at the time, was placed on administrative leave, after a top female executive at the Convention Center Authority reported harassment and abuse by Demers.
The Convention Center Board called the audit “illegal” — and asked Rhode Island State Police Superintendent James Manni to investigate.
In a letter signed by the Chair of the Convention Center Authority Board Bernie Buonanno and James McCarville, Executive Director, they wrote in part, “Given that we are already subject to an annual financial audit which is posted to our website and provided to the Governor, House of Representatives, Senate, Auditor General, among others, and that this most recent audit request was issued and then rescinded, the Convention Center Authority requests a formal investigation by the State Police into the nexus of this request, the motivation behind it and if any laws were broken in the process.”
As GoLocal first reported, the Rhode Island State Police were looking into the matter at the time of the Convention Center Authority request.
Mattiello Chief of Staff Leo Skenyon Changes Lawyers
Just days before the Britt trial is set to begin, Speaker Mattiello's Chief of Staff Leo Skenyon has tapped attorney Bill Devereaux to serve as counsel.
Devereaux of the firm Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC, is a former prosecutor both for the U.S. Attorney in Hawaii and the RI Attorney General's office.
Skenyon was subpoenaed to testify the Convention Center Authority grand jury and has been subpoenaed to testify by Britt's defense team in this trial.
