UPDATED: Top Mattiello Aide and Son of Political Consultant Was Accused of Burglary

UPDATED: Top Mattiello Aide and Son of Political Consultant Was Accused of Burglary

Michael Cotugno, a top aide to Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello, was accused of burglary in 2010 and spent time at the Adult Correctional Institution.

Prison officials confirmed to GoLocal that Cotugno was released on August 11, 2010. His record was later expunged.

When Cotugno was named by Mattiello to serve as Associate Director Legislative Services in March 2018, GoLocal asked Mattiello’s office about rumors about issues in Cotugno’s background.

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Larry Berman told GoLocal, “Speaker Mattiello was not aware of any information that would disqualify from employment.”

“He does not have a record, according to the State Bureau of Criminal Identification,” added Berman.

Before joining Mattiello's staff at the State House, Cotugno worked in the office of the Providence City Council and had an incident with a member of the City Council.

Cotugno denies that the incident was physical, although one witness told GoLocal the incident required physical intervention.

Deep Political Ties

Cotugno is the son of long-time political operative Ed Cotugno who has jumped from campaign to campaign — Republican to Democrat — and now has a political consulting firm that works for Mattiello’s campaign.

Cotugno was a paid consultant on the 2016 Mattiello campaign. Earlier this month, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced a grand jury indictment of Jeff Britt, another Mattiello political consultant.

The elder Cotugno's wife -- Teresa Graham -- contributed $1,000 to opponent Shana Lawton in the waning days of the campaign -- and was under scrutiny by the Board of Election. That mailer funded in part by Graham, is the basis of the state's charge of money laundering. 

Earlier this month, GoLocal unveiled that Deputy Chief of Staff Grant Pilkington is the owner of a regulated hemp company with two top Rhode Island lobbyists.

Berman told GoLocal Pilkington's hemp ties, "Speaker Mattiello was not aware that he invested in this company."

Mattiello's office and Cotugno did not respond to requests for comment.

{Image_2}Cotugno's Connections

The senior Cotugno worked for both former Governor Ed DiPrete and the late Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci.

The senior Cotugno and political operative Jeff Britt are widely credited with developing and implementing the mail-ballot strategy that helped Mattiello win re-election. Mattiello lost to GOP candidate Steve Frias on the machine count, but edged Frias by less than 100 votes due to the mail-ballot count.

Confrontation with Councilman Who Would Not Support a Raise

In June of 2017, it was a relatively quiet afternoon in Providence City Hall until about 4:00 PM when [junior Providence city council staffer] Cotugno blew up and started screaming at Providence Councilman Michael Correia. In his role,  Cotugno "managed constituent requests, [and] organized community meetings and events for councilors."

Sources told GoLocal that Cotugno was angered because Correia who represents the 6th Ward had asked and questioned other council members about a proposed raise for Cotugno. 

That day, Cotugno called Correia earlier in the day and screamed on the phone at him and then challenged the Councilman when he arrived in the City Council office.

The argument started initially in the office and then spilled out into the hallway outside the Council office where both city employees and visitors to City Hall heard the shouting.

Ultimately, Councilman Nick Narducci had to defuse the argument. He represents the 4th Ward — primarily the north end of the city.

“It was a misunderstanding. It was unfortunate,” Councilman Correia told GoLocal...when he confirmed the incident.

“It is over .. we are moving forward,” added Correia.

Correia represents the Mount Pleasant, Manton, Olneyville, and Fruit Hill neighborhoods and he is recognized as a champion for fighting against crime and graffiti in the city.

“The staff should not involve themselves in the City’s politics,” said former Council President Luis Aponte. "This episode is disappointing."

Cotugno reached at home said, "Well if you got the story, you got the story, but I have no comment."

No disciplinary actions were taken against Cotugno, according to members of the Council.

Editor's Note -- Cotugno was accused of burglary -- not convicted. We apologize for the error.

This story was updated on December 1, 2019, to reflect Cotugno's assertion.