Town councilors charged with corruption

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Three North Providence town councilors have been charged with extortion and accepting a bribe, after being arrested by the FBI early Thursday morning.

The three men are Council President Joseph Burchfield, Councilman Raymond Douglas and Councilman John Zambarano.

According to court documents written by FBI special agent James D. Pitcavage, the political trio is accused of accepting a $25,000 bribe, splitting it three ways, so that a developer could build a Stop & Shop supermarket in their town.

Court documents show another, unnamed town councilor working with federal agents, recorded several phone conversations with the accused.

In one phone call Zambarano tells the source: “If you go along with the show and go along with everything, we’ll give you four thousand dollars. And I’m gonna tell you it was twenty five divided by three.”

After that call, according to prosecutors, the town council voted 7-0 to change the Plympton Street zoning to “commercial general,” giving the developer a green light.

”It gives me no pleasure to announce these charges. I say this because whenever public officials are charged with misusing their office for personal gain, such charges only add to the cynicism many Rhode Islanders feel about their public officials,” said U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha.

• Read Entire Statement From U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha

Neronha would not take any questions at the news conference, but said this investigation is not over yet.

“Anyone with knowledge related to the conduct alleged in the affidavits would do well to contact the FBI in the very near future,” Neronha said.

• Read The U.S. District Court Affidavits

Burchfield, Zambarano and Douglas have been released on $50,000 unsecured bond and did not enter pleas.

• See What North Providence Town Officials And Residents Are Saying About The Corruption Crackdown.

The court documents also reveal this investigation began in November 2008 when the unnamed, cooperating town councilor was at a conference in Florida with the accused.

Over drinks, the documents reveal the source overheard Zambarano say to Douglas and Burchfield “that Zambarano hoped the Stop and Shop deal would go through soon because Zambarano hoped to get the money for Christmas.”

Investigators from the Rhode Island State Police, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Providence Police and Internal Revenue Service were used for this investigation.

Absent from the news conference announcing the charges were representatives of the North Providence Police.

According to public records, Zambarano is a janitorial supervisor for the Department of Corrections . State salary information also shows Burchfield is a “constituent liaison” for the state senate, making just under $53,000 a year.

Greg Pare, spokesman for the State Senate confirms that Burchfield has been placed on unpaid administrative leave from his position as a constituent liaison.

A call to the Department of Corrections and has not been returned. The Rhode Island Secretary of State’s website shows Douglas is President of “Redray Inc.” which is listed as an appraisal business.

Extortion is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Bribery is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.