Corrupt former Rhode Island mayor Charles Moreau was freed from prison early Friday as part of a deal struck with federal and state prosecutors after an appeals court threw his 2012 conviction into question, according to The Washington Post.
Moreau was released after first pleading guilty to a new charge of accepting a bribe and being sentenced on that charge to time served, the Post reported. As part of the deal, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell then vacated Moreau's 2012 conviction, allowing him to walk free.
He served just under one year of a two-year sentence, according to the Post. McConnell also sentenced him to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $25,000 fine, the same terms as his previous sentence.
As he left the courthouse Friday afternoon, Moreau said he was looking forward to being with his family but remained silent when asked if he had anything to say to the people of Central Falls, the Post reported.
Moreau pleaded guilty in November 2012 to accepting a gratuity by an official receiving federal funds, admitting as part of a plea deal that he accepted a furnace and home renovations from a businessman who had a lucrative no-bid contract to board up vacant houses in Central Falls, according to the Post.
Prosecutors say the scheme allowed the contractor, Michael Bouthillette, to make "unreasonable profits" of hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Post reported.
In June 2013, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found in an unrelated case involving an official from Puerto Rico that it is not a crime for a government official to accept gratuities, according to the Post. A gratuity is a reward for a future or past act, as opposed to a bribe, which is a quid pro quo meant to influence an official.
Other appeals courts have said accepting gratuities is a crime, but the U.S. District Court in Providence is in the 1st Circuit, the Post reported.
U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha said prosecutors originally pursued the gratuities charge, and not bribery or other charges, because they believe it was the best case they had at the time, according to the Post.
