NEW: Guilty Pleas in North Providence Corruption Scheme

NEW: Guilty Pleas in North Providence Corruption Scheme

Three former councilmen and a businessman from North Providence will plead guilty to charges of extortion and bribery, U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha announced today.

The four men— councilmen Joseph S. Burchfield, Raymond L. Douglas III and John A. Zambarano, and businessman Edward Imondi—also agreed to forfeit $46,000 in total bribe money they had received so far.

All four men were charged in four extortion and bribery schemes which involved the following, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office:

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■ a $75,000 bribe in exchange for a zoning change which would permit residential development at a mill in the Lymansville section of North Providence (of which $21,000 in cash was delivered)
■ a $25,000 bribe in exchange for a supermarket development zoning change
■ the attempted extortion of $3,000 from a bar owner seeking a liquor license (the bribe was not paid)
■ the attempted extortion of $5,000 from a restaurant owner seeking an extended hours permit (the bribe was not paid)

In addition, Douglas will plead guilty for using extortion to collect gambling debts and Zambarano will plead guilty for his involvement in a conspiracy to file an insurance claim to fix damage to an uninsured home of a co-conspirator. Zambarano obtained $40,012.68 through the scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney.