| Vincent Cianci |
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EDUCATION AND POLITICAL CAREER Cianci received his high school diploma from Moses Brown School , his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University , and his law degree from Marquette University Law School. Cianci was a well known Prosecutor in the State of Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General prior to becoming mayor of Providence. He was first elected mayor of Providence in 1974 . Cianci narrowly beat then mayor Joseph Doorley on an anti-corruption campaign. Also helping Cianci win was a revolt by some Democrats who were upset at Doorley's administration. He was the city's first Italian-American mayor, ending a 150 year "power monopoly" held by Irish Democrats. Cianci was also the first Republican mayor of Providence since the Great Depression. Cianci was well known as an extremely charismatic and Media -savvy politician. His propensity to attend parades, weddings and public events led to a common joke during his tenure as mayor that Cianci would jump to attend the opening of an envelope. Cianci was revered by many residents of Providence and credited with the revitalizing of the city's economy and image. To term the moniker "Buddy" a Nickname is not truly accurate; to many Providence residents, Mayor Cianci was simply "Buddy.", in the same sense as President Clinton is referred to as "Bubba". During his first terms in office, Cianci and his allies on the Providence City Council clashed with the anti-Cianci majority on almost every issue, the budget being the most heated one. Also, Cianci saw himself as a rising star in the national Republican Party, and tried to sell himself as a Senate candidate, pointing out that if the Republican Party was going to survive in the northeast, it would have to get more ethnic voters. Cianci clashed behind the scenes with John Chafee , trying to talk him out of his Senate run so he could get the Republican nomination instead. He even ran for governor in 1980, losing out to J. Joseph Garrahy . After this loss, Cianci drifted away from the Republican Party and by 1982 was an Independent. Cianci resigned from office for the first time in 1984 after pleading no contest to Assault ing a man with a lit cigarette, an ashtray and a fireplace log. Cianci claimed that the man had been having an affair with his wife, though both the man and Cianci's then wife said nothing had happened. Cianci spent the next few years as a radio Talk Show host on Providence AM station 920 WHJJ and as a television commentator. In 1990 he successfully mounted a re-election Campaign with the slogan, "He never stopped caring about Providence." OPERATION PLUNDER DOME Cianci was Indicted in April 2001 on federal criminal charges of Racketeering , Conspiracy , Extortion , Witness Tampering , and Mail Fraud . Several other Providence city officials were also indicted. Much of the trial was focused around a video tape showing top Cianci aide Frank A. Corrente taking a bribe. Jim Taricani , the reporter who submitted the tape, was sentenced to six months of house arrest for refusing to reveal his sources. Rather than maintaining a low profile after the indictment, Cianci poked fun at the investigation, code-named " Operation Plunder Dome ". Nine people (including Cianci) were convicted in the trials. Cianci was acquitted of 26 of 27 charges, including bribery, extortion, and mail fraud. He was, however, found guilty of a single charge of conspiracy (running a corrupt criminal enterprise). Cianci was sentenced to serve nearly five years in federal Prison . He was forced to step down a second time on September 5, 2002 following the sentencing. Between his conviction and the start of his jail term, Cianci resumed his radio career hosting a midday show with Providence radio legend (and current director of communications to Governor Don Carcieri) Steve Kass on AM talk station NewsTalk 630 WPRO . After some legal wrangling, Cianci's lawyers managed to have Cianci sent to prison closer to Rhode Island, and Cianci served his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix . In August 2005 , Cianci was denied a request for early release. PRESENT He was released on May 30, 2007 to a halfway house near . {Link without Title} His sentence formally ended on July 28, 2007. He would be eligble to run for mayor of Providence again in the year 2012, 3 years after his probation ends, although the next Providence mayoral election Cianci would be eligble for wouldn't occur until November 2014. In August 2007, it was announced that starting September 20, 2007, Cianci will return to the airwaves on local Providence AM station WPRO, hosting a weekly talk show. DOCUMENTARY AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORKS
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