PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 24 (UPI) -- A federal jury on Monday found Providence, R.I., Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr. guilty of racketeering conspiracy but not of racketeering.
Two co-defendants were also found guilty of racketeering conspiracy as a result of a municipal corruption investigation into what the FBI dubbed "Operation Plunder Dome."
The jury of eight men and four women reached its verdict after deliberating more than 60 hours over nine days.
The six-term mayor, the longest-serving big city mayor in the nation, could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The colorful Cianci, perhaps the most popular mayor in New England, also faces the probable loss of the job he has held for 21 of the last 26 1/2 years. He is expected to appeal.
Cianci reportedly stood stone-faced as the verdict was read.
The government alleged Cianci, his former top aide, Frank E. Corrente, and former fund-raiser Richard E. Autiello conspired to run a criminal enterprise out of City Hall, using extortion and bribery to enrich the mayor's campaign organization.
While Cianci was not convicted on several lesser charges, Corrente and Autiello were.
When the trial began in mid-April, Cianci, Corrente and Autiello initially faced a 29-count indictment, but that was whittled down to 26 charges of racketeering, extortion, bribery, mail fraud and conspiracy.
The jury reported it was deadlocked on charges Cianci extorted a free membership in the private University Club by withholding building variances for renovations, but Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ernest C. Torres told the jurors to return to their deliberations on that issue.
In a trial that lasted more than 10 weeks, jurors listened to nearly 60 witnesses, heard dozens of undercover audio and video surveillance tapes involving alleged payoffs, and were presented with thousands of pages of documents.
None of the defendants took the stand in their own behalf.
Lead prosecutor Richard Rose had described Providence as "a city for sale" during the Cianci administration, while defense attorney Richard Egbert said the government's case was based on the word of "bums, thieves and liars."
(Reported by Dave Haskell in Boston)
