News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
February 6, 2009
Former North Providence police officer is sentenced for
tipping off a drug dealer and tampering with a witness
A federal judge today sentenced Paul Vittorio, a former North Providence Police officer, to five months in prison plus five months home confinement for tipping off a drug dealer that he was under investigation. In September, Vittorio admitted that he warned Louis Romanelli that he might be under investigation for dealing in pharmaceuticals, and suggested that Romanelli move his operation to another location. Vittorio also admitted trying to influence the testimony of a grand jury witness.
United States Attorney Robert Clark Corrente announced the sentence, which Chief U.S. District Court Judge Mary M. Lisi imposed in U.S. District Court, Providence.
At the plea hearing in September, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adi Goldstein said the government could prove that, while he was a North Providence police officer from 2005 until last year, Vittorio became friends with Romanelli and at times purchased hydrocodone from him.
In August 2006, Vittorio learned that Romanelli might be under investigation. Federal agents were in fact monitoring Romanelli’s drug dealing operation at an address on Mineral Spring Avenue. Vittorio suggested that Romanelli move to another location, which Romanelli did, relocating his activities to Plainfield Pike in Johnston.
After federal agents arrested Romanelli last year, Vittorio met with a federal grand jury witness on several occasions and urged the witness not to connect Vittorio to drug activity when testifying before the grand jury. He also attempted to debrief the witness about grand jury testimony.
Vittorio pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, tampering with a witness, and making false statements to federal agents. As a condition of his plea agreement with the government, he resigned from the North Providence Police Department.
In September, Romanelli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, money laundering, and a dozen drug charges. Romanelli, 82, is free on bond, pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 15.
A task force anchored by the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation. The Task Force included FDA-OCI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Rhode Island Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and North Providence Police.