Sin City: Cranston Officials Tied to Drugs, Sexual Assaults, Vandalism, and Prostitution
GoLocalProv News Team
Sin City: Cranston Officials Tied to Drugs, Sexual Assaults, Vandalism, and Prostitution
This year it was ranked as one of the best cities by Livability. The real estate website wrote, “Cranston is one of the best places to live in the U.S. because of its strong business community, prime public school districts and diverse amenities.”
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But there appears to be a seedier side. Some of the city’s top elected and appointed officials have been charged with a range of crimes. No political party has a monopoly, with both Democrats and Republicans immersed in controversy.
It is a dizzying array of alleged crimes and misdemeanors.
Providence of course is known as having once been the home to the New England Crime family led by the infamous Raymond Patriarca, and, of course, Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, Jr. — a two-time convicted felon who helped to brand Rhode Island's capital as “Crimetown.”
Now it is Cranston that is on a crime roll.
In April 2022, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced the findings of his office's investigation into how one of Rhode Island's most powerful couples owned buildings tied to the ownership that housed an illegal massage parlor.
As GoLocal reported in June of 2021, Lynne Urbani Craddock, a top staffer to the Speaker of the House, and her husband Walter "Bud" Craddock -- the state's top DMV administrator -- control the building located at 1732 Broad Street via a corporation LUC Realty Holdings (Urbani Craddock’s initials), according to Cranston tax records.
A Cranston police investigation found illegal prostitution to be taking place on the premises.
Then, Neronha -- in a letter to Rhode Island State Police Colonel James Manni -- said that upon conclusion of his office's investigation, the office found that there were "red flags" and "smoke" as far as Craddock possibly having known there was prostitution taking place on his property.
Neronha, however, said in his estimation there was no "fire" -- any definitive sticking point to charge Craddock.
In a 7-page letter to Manni, Neronha noted that during the investigation, that some of Craddock's answers to questions about the operations of the business -- including how he didn't question plastic bags over the windows and how, during the pandemic, he decided to collect rent in person -- "strained credulity."
Eleven women were charged for working in the massage parlor.
In May GoLocal unveiled it had secured copies of court documents relating to Cranston Councilman Matthew Reilly - the documents include copies of text messages between Reilly and, at the time, a client in which the two discussed drug use, his "medicating" his children, sex, and allegedly perpetrating a fraud against the police and the court.
The court filings secured by GoLocal included copies of the text messages submitted to Rhode Island Family Court in August of 2022 before Judge Debra DiSegna.
Reilly, a lawyer, is the father of two young daughters and had a legal battle with his wife during their divorce over custody.
According to multiple sources with direct knowledge, at least two attorneys and a family court judge notified the court's chief disciplinary counsel Kerry Reilly Travers more than six months ago about Reilly’s drug use and his having sex with clients. And according to those sources, Travers took no action against Reilly.
GoLocal reached out to Cranston police in August of 2022, requesting documents relating to an alleged domestic complaint involving Reilly.
But, Cranston Police Major Todd Patalano said in an email to GoLocal News Editor Kate Nagle, “We do not ever confirm there is any ongoing investigation in order to protect the privacy of individuals involved in any investigation, whether or not there is one even occurring, which we cannot confirm by that name you provided.”
In a court filing submitted as part of Reilly’s divorce, his wife’s attorney Kathleen Hagerty:
"...Plaintiff and her counsel have come into possession of evidence that the Defendant [Reilly] has committed fraud upon this court, has conspired with a then client of his with whom he was having a sexual relationship to file a false witness statement with the Cranston Police claiming she had witnessed the Plaintiff violate a no-contact order, that he has left the children alone in the middle of the night, that has been using marijuana, Adderall and cocaine in both raw and powdered form."
The court filing also asserts "That we are in possession of approximately a year and a half of text messages between the Defendant's client and the Defendant, a sampling of which are attached hereto as Exhibit 1 that will prove that he often left the children home alone after giving them "sleep medication" and "melatonin" so that he could travel from Cranston to North Kingstown to engage in sexual relations and illicit substances with his then client in the middle of the night."
The children's mother, Reilly's ex-wife, submitted to the court that, "'On numerous occasions, I received phone calls from our eldest daughter in the middle of the night upset that she woke up and her father was not home.' The Defendant's [Reilly's] former client will also testify that the Defendant was with her father [Reilly] in the middle of the night upset that he was not home."
Weeks later on June 8, GoLocal reported that Reilly has been arrested and charged with three felony counts — for sexual assault and child molestation.
The charges were filed in 3rd Division District Court on Thursday for first-degree child molestation sexual assault; second-degree child molestation sexual assault; and enticement of a person under the age of 16.
Former Democratic Cranston mayoral candidate and CPA Michael Sepe was arrested in May and charged with simple assault.
According to the affidavit and arrest warrant filed this week, Sepe had met with the victim, a woman in her 20s, for a tax return consultation in March 2022.
The victim told police that her parents had used Sepe's services before, and that when she met with Sepe, he closed his office door, and at the end of the consultation, forcefully grabbed and kissed her.
The police affidavit — in which both the victim and Sepe spoke with Cranston police — asserts the victim then received a text message in 2023 in which Sepe wrote, “Sorry about last year.”
At that time, she contacted Cranston police — and the case was turned over to the Special Victims Unit.
The Cranston Police Department has released the arrest report charging State Senator Josh Miller with vandalism.
The report shows that Miller first denied, then admitted, to keying a small family SUV.
The occupants were a dad, mom, and little girl who had gone to Garden City.
Miller told police he was "threatened" by who he thought was a "gun nut" - and finally argued that the victim "basically dared him" to key his car.
Cranston Police on Friday released body camera footage of officers responding to the scene, as well as Miller's residence (seen above).
The victim was in an SUV with a woman and a child.
"It should be noted, at no time did I observe [the victim] make contact or appear to say anything to Miller prior to him observing the scratch on his vehicle. Nor did it appear that [the victim] had blocked Miller at any point in between the vehicles as he had previously stated," said the reporting officer. "Furthermore, [the vicitm's] story remained consistent as seen on surveillance whereas Miller's recollection was not observed as he had stated it took place."
"On behalf of Joshua Miller, there will be no comment in his matter until court proceedings are concluded," said Miller's attorney John MacDonald in a statement on Friday.
Cranston's city seal, which was taken from the coat of arms of Governor Samuel Cranston, consists of three silver cranes on a red shield with a silver border, according to the city.
The motto DUM VIGILO CURO has been translated as "While I watch, I care."
There is certainly a lot to see in Cranston.