Fenton-Fung Slams Mattiello on Campaign Payments in New Mailer

Fenton-Fung Slams Mattiello on Campaign Payments in New Mailer

GOP candidate Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung slams Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello and his ties to political consultant Ed Cotugno in her new mailer.

The race for the 15th District is one of the hottest races in RI — one that features two political heavyweights and is being defined in part by a grand jury investigating actions by the Speaker’s office and its alleged interference with the operation of the RI Convention Center.

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The newest mailer is in the theme of Candyland and dubs Mattiello as "Tricky Nicky."

Earlier this month, GoLocal unveiled that long-time political operative Cotugno's company is being paid thousands of dollars by Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello's campaign.

Cotugno and his wife Teresa Graham are two central figures in the State of Rhode Island’s case against Mattiello’s former campaign consultant Jeff Britt.

The move by Mattiello has drawn criticism from the Speaker's Republican challenger and Britt’s attorney.

"In a wildly brazen move, Nick Mattiello has re-engaged a shady mail ballot operative in Ed Cotugno, who, along with his wife, are central characters in the upcoming criminal trial involving felony money laundering charges in the 2016 campaign,” said Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung who is set to face the Speaker in November.

The trial is now expected to begin in September and both Cotugno and Graham were on Britt's witness list.

“Mattiello has also given Cotugno's son a plush $75,000 a year job at the State House. How's that for using taxpayer money to potentially influence someone,” said Fenton-Fung.

“Nick Mattiello's inner circle is a hodgepodge of corruption, from Frank Montanaro's disgusting abuse of taxpayer money to fund a family member's college tuition, to leadership team members being convicted of federal and state crimes. He walks around with a disgusting level of arrogance thinking he can get away with it, which is an enormous turn off to your hard-working voters.  It's just another reason why his time is up as far as representing District 15,” she added.

According to campaign finance documents filed by the Mattiello campaign on Friday, Cotugno’s company Winning Ways was paid $6,000 on June 29. Cotugno worked with Mattiello in the 2016 reelection campaign. Another payment of $2,000 was made by the Mattiello campaign to Winning Ways in February of 2020.

Britt's attorney Robert Corrente wrote in an email to GoLocal Sunday, “This is a typical response from the Speaker, trying to buy off witnesses in the upcoming trial. He tried to do that with Jeff Britt, and get him to sign a false affidavit, but Jeff refused. Fortunately, most of the witnesses are already on record. To the extent that they now try to change their stories, now we know why.”

 

Mattiello Says Cotugno Is Valuable

A spokesperson for Mattiello’s campaign Patti Doyle told GoLocal in an email on Sunday, “Ed was a valuable member of the last two successful campaigns and will be a member of this one as well.”

Mattiello's mailers have focused on his accomplishments using a theme of "Promises Made. Promises Kept."  He uses personal endorsements by Cranston residents to support his claims of achievements.