Indicted

Another takes the heat

His boyish good looks, cherubic smile and bouncy energy helped him win the Providence mayoralty in 1974 at the age of 33. By a mere 709 votes over a sorely split Democratic machine, Vincent A. Cianci Jr. became the first Republican mayor of the heavily industrial city in 34 years. But he soon had a problem that threatened to tarnish the good-guy image. A 1978 cover story in the now defunct New Times magazine reported that twelve years earlier, while a law student at Marquette University, Cianci had been accused by a 20-year-old Milwaukee telephone operator of having raped her at gunpoint in his apartment. Cianci sued the magazine for $12 million but settled out of court when New Times' parent company paid him $8,500; it also gave Cianci a letter of apology "for any inconvenience to you and your family."

Despite the publicity, Cianci won reelection that year. Last year, running as a political independent, he squeaked through to win his third term. But new trouble has surfaced. Last week a grand jury issued a six-count indictment of the mayor, charging him with kidnaping, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted extortion.

The charges stemmed from an alleged attempt by Cianci to force a Bristol, R.I., contractor, Raymond DeLeo, to sign an affidavit saying that he had had an affair with Cianci's estranged wife Sheila before the two were divorced last March. The indictment charges that in a confrontation at his Providence town house on March 20, Cianci threatened to sue DeLeo for alienation of affection or to "put a bullet" in his head if DeLeo refused to pay the mayor an unspecified sum (DeLeo claims it was $500,000). At a press conference, Cianci characterized the incident as a simple "domestic matter" and vowed to remain in office while fighting the charges. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.