"Everyone Was Scurrying Around," Says Cotugno in Britt Trial of Mailer Aftermath
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"Everyone Was Scurrying Around," Says Cotugno in Britt Trial of Mailer Aftermath
He did say that after he found out about the mailer, the "s--t hit the fan."
LISTEN TO COTUGNO'S TESTIMONY --- BELOW
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTCotugno's testimony came after failed GOP candidate Lawton was accused of lying by Britt's lawyer, former U.S. Attorney Robert Corrente, on the trial's first day.
In his testimony, Cotugno detailed his work as a political operative, dating back to the 1970s, working for Buddy Cianci, Ed DiPrete and more.
"I got a call from Jeff [Britt] out of the clear blue obviously before the primary. He said he was doing some races for the Speaker and asked me if I’d get involved," said Cotugno of getting involved in the 2016 House District 15 race for Mattiello -- which now has Britt facing felony money laundering and misdemeanor charges of making a prohibited campaign contribution.
Cotugno on Record
Cotugno testified that he often reported to campaign headquarters on Oaklawn Avenue “right next to the Honey Dew donuts” — and spoke to his interaction with Britt, and campaign operative Matt Jerzyk.
"[Jerzyk], he was the manager, in charge of mail — I don’t think he had the title of campaign manager, there was someone else with that title," said Cotugno. "Jeff was basically in charge…I’m sorry, I said Jeff, I meant Matt Jerzyk. I would see him probably daily."
Cotugno spoke to meeting with both Britt and Jerzyk outside campaign headquarters one day, when Britt asked him to make a campaign contribution to Lawton following her defeat -- and then, after Britt and Jerzyk conferred, it was determined it should come from his wife instead.
"Jeff asked me hey would you mind writing a check for Shawna Lawton," said Cotugno, who said Britt didn’t tell him what it was for.
"A few seconds later — he went to talk to Matt and came back and said listen you’re too close to the campaign can you get your wife to write the check, I said I’d ask. She said yeah, whatever," said Cotugno.
"She said what do I put on the check? I said I had no idea, whether it was 'friends of', 'committee to elect' — I said to be in touch with Jeff, he’ll know, so she sent him a text," said Cotugno. "I believe she received a reply, it was for 'friends of Shawna Lawton.'
Cotugno said he was "pretty sure" he hand-delivered it to Britt -- but he "didn't recall"
"My assumption was they are trying to make nice with Shawna Lawton," said Cotugno. "I don’t remember when I was made aware of the mailer — obviously the s--t hit the fan at one point and everybody was scurrying around ‘cause there were letters going out to people from the Board of Elections and people filing complaints. It was all over the news."
"I’m assuming at that time everyone runs for cover," said Cotugno. "I didn't see anything wrong with it in the first place, I don’t see anything wrong with it today."
Rhode Island Superior Court from Judge Procaccini on Vimeo.
Who Are the Players in the Jeff Britt Trial
The Defendant
Jeffrey Britt - Political Consultant
There are not many things that top Republicans, Democrats and even Moderates agree on, except one thing -- they all have hired Jeff Britt. For nearly two decades Jeff Britt has been one of the top political consultants in Rhode Island.
According to campaign finance reports, Governor Gina Raimondo, Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello, Moderate party founder turned Republican Ken Block, and numerous other candidates and political entities paid Britt and his associated companies more than $150,000 over the years.
Britt started his political career working on the staff of Republican Governor Don Carcieri and became well known as a skilled policy person and political operative.
He ran two of the most unusual campaigns in Rhode Island history. In 2002, he ran his step-father Bruce Bayuk as a write-in candidate against Speaker of the House John Harwood and almost pulled off the upset victory.
The Attorney General
RI Attorney General Peter Neronha
This is the first, and only, public corruption case brought by the Attorney General in his first two years in office.
There has recently been a sitting grand jury on Mattiello's purported interference in the running of the Rhode Island Convention Center.
"As Attorney General, on behalf of the people of Rhode Island, I’ll make sure that all public officials, elected or appointed, serve the public, not themselves," according to Neronha's campaign.
For the former U.S. Attorney, the stakes are high in the Britt case.
The Prosecutor
Stephen G. Dambruch, Special Assistant Attorney General
Dambruch came to the Attorney General's office after a long stint in the U.S. Attorney's office - including serving as Acting U.S. Attorney in RI.
Previously, he served First Assistant United States Attorney in January 2014, was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney in January 2004 and Criminal Division Chief in February 2007. As an Assistant United States Attorney, Dambruch worked on, among other things, a number of significant narcotics and public corruption matters.
Prior to his tenure with the United States Attorney’s Office, Dambruch served as a state prosecutor with the Rhode Island Department of Attorney General for over sixteen years, including appointments as Chief of the Narcotics Prosecution Unit, Chief Prosecutor for Kent, Newport and Washington Counties, and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.
Dambruch is a 1982 graduate of Providence College and received his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1985.
The Defense
Robert Corrente, Defense Attorney
He served from 2004 to 2009 as the United States Attorney in Rhode Island,
According to his bio, "He has tried over 50 cases to verdict, as well as many arbitrations."
He also maintains an active Government Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, and provides mediation and arbitration services.
The Judge
Judge Daniel Procaccini
Judge Procaccini has been an associate justice on the Rhode Island Superior Court since 2001. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he had an active civil litigation practice and served as a solicitor for several towns in Rhode Island.
In 2017, the Rhode Island Bar Association honored him with its judicial excellence award.
The association awarded him with the 2017 Chief Justice Joseph R. Weisberger Judicial Excellence Award.
Named for its first recipient, the award is given to a state or federal judge who the committee believes exemplifies and encourages the highest level of competence, integrity, judicial conduct, and professionalism, according to the association’s website.
Potential Witness
Nicholas Mattiello - Speaker of the House
For Mattiello, the trial could not come at a worse time. He is immersed in a reelection battle with Republican Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung.
Mattiello hired Britt as a political consultant in April of 2016.
“Speaker Mattiello is expected to testify about the respective duties of members of his campaign staff and operations, his knowledge and approval of the Shawna Lawton mailer, his filings with the Board of Elections in connection with its investigation in which he denied that his campaign had played any role in the Lawton mailer, his campaign's reporting to the BOE and reimbursement to Shawna Lawton, his communications, both oral and written, with Leo Skenyon and Jeffrey Britt, and the public statements made by and on behalf of his campaign concerning the mailer," according to Britt filing.
Potential Witness
Leo Skenyon, Chief of Staff to Mattiello
Skenyon is a central figure in the grand jury that was or is investigating alleged Mattiello interference in the operation of the RI Convention Center.
"Leo Skenyon is expected to testify about the respective duties of members of the Mattiello campaign staff and the campaign operations, his knowledge and approval of the Shawna Lawton mailer, his directions to Jeffrey Britt and other campaign staffers and contractors about the Lawton endorsement and mailer, the affidavit he prepared and asked Jeffrey Britt to sign which falsely denied that the Mattiello campaign arranged, coordinated or directed Shawna Lawton to make an independent expenditure for her campaign mailer, Mr. Britt's refusal to sign the false affidavit, his statement to the Rhode Island State Police in connection with their investigation, the campaign's reporting to the BOE and reimbursement to Shawna Lawton, and his communications, both oral and written, with Jeffrey Britt and other campaign staffers and contractors," cites the filing.
Potential Witness
Matt Jerzyk
Jerzyk is a long-time political consultant. Once a leader in the progressive movement and now a top consultant to conservative Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello. Jerzyk was also an owner of a controversial hemp company in partnership with a top Mattiello staffer.
Jerzyk has been a lobbyist for Twin River, Uber and Bank of America.
"Matthew Jerzyk is expected to testify about the services he provided to the Mattiello campaign, his interactions and observations about the workings of the Mattiello campaign, his communications with Jeffrey Britt, Leo Skenyon, Brad Dufault and others about the Shawna Lawton mailer, his authorship and creation of the Lawton mailer, his emails and texts concerning the Lawton mailer, his statements and testimony concerning his role in this matter, and his conversations with Jeffrey Britt and Leo Skenyon about paying individuals working on other campaigns (i.e., not the Mattiello campaign) through Jeffrey Britt's company," according to Britt's legal teams' filing.
Potential Witness
Edward Cotugno
The political consultant is being paid $6,000 a month by the Mattiello campaign presently.
The most recent payment to Cotugno's company Winning Ways was made June 29, according to Mattiello's campaign finance report.
"Edward Cotugno is expected to testify about the services he provided to the Mattiello campaign, the payments he received for his services, his interactions and observations about the workings of the Mattiello campaign, and his communications with Jeffrey Britt, with other Mattiello campaign staffers, and with his wife, Theresa Graham, about making a contribution to the Shawna Lawton campaign and about the Shawna Lawton mailer," according to Britt's court filings.
Potential Witness
Victor Pichette
Social media consultant and private investigator. He was one of two individuals who allegedly received $1,000 from Britt and then made a payment for the Lawton mailer.
"Victor Pichette is expected to testify about the extensive services he provided to the Mattiello campaign, the payments he received for his services, his interactions and observations about the workings of the Mattiello campaign, his oral and written communications with Jeffrey Britt about making a contribution to the Shawna Lawton campaign, his efforts to secure a State job through Leo Skenyon, and his statements and testimony concerning his role in this matter," according to Britt's filings.
Potential Witness
Brad Dufault
A political consultant, Dufault has worked with the major unions, PawSox ownership groups and New England Tech. His firm developed the now infamous mailer.
"Brad Dufault is expected to testify about the services he provided to the Mattiello campaign, the payments he received for his services, his interactions and observations about the workings of the Mattiello campaign, his communications with campaign representatives about the Shawna Lawton mailer and the other mailers he printed for the Mattiello campaign, his work on mailers for other third parties at the direction of the Mattiello campaign, his statements and testimony concerning his role in this matter," according to Britt's filings.
Potential Witness
Frank Montenaro, Jr.
Montanaro directs the controversial Joint Committee on Legislative Services -- the controversial organization tied to another Mattiello controversy -- a grand jury investigating threats made against the RI Convention Center.
"Frank Montenaro, Jr. is expected to testify about the services he provided to the Mattiello campaign, his interactions and observations about the workings of the Mattiello campaign, his communications with Leo Skenyon, and others about various endorsements and/ or mailers, and his statements concerning his role in this matter," according to Britt's filings.
Potential Witness
Shawna Lawton
A mailer for Shawna Lawton to endorse Speaker Nick Mattiello is at the center of the legal case.
"Shawna Lawton is expected to testify about her primary campaign for State Representative in 2016, her decision to endorse Speaker Mattiello, her communications, both oral and written, with Jeffrey Britt, the contributions she received from Theresa Graham and Victor Pichette, the public statements she made about the mailer, the statements and filings she made with the BOE, her statement to the Rhode Island State Police in connection with their investigation, and her campaign's reporting to the BOE," according to Britt filing.
Potential Witness
Theresa Graham
Graham like Pichette allegedly received $1,000 from Britt and made a donation to Lawton to fund the mailer.
She is the wife of political consultant Ed Cotugno.
"Theresa Graham is expected to testify about her communications with Jeffrey Britt and with her husband Edward Cotugno about making a contribution to the Shawna Lawton campaign, and about the statements she made concerning that transaction," according to Britt filings.
