Update: 24 charged in RI's 'Operation Deception'

Published June 9, 2010 at 11:49 p.m.

Providence Journal photos / Andrew Dickerman
Twelve people were arraigned before Judge Robert D. Krause in Superior Court Wednesday. Prosecutor Pamela Chin is at left by the lectern.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Twenty-four people were charged in an 89-count Operation Deception indictment unsealed in Superior Court Wednesday afternoon, and 12 appeared in court for arraignment.

Of the 24 charged, 7 had previously been charged in a March drug sting.

One of those newly indicted is Providence Police narcotics officer Robert Enright. Another is Mark Messier, a Department of Corrections supervisor of offenders placed on home confinement.

Attorney General Patrick Lynch and State Police Col. Brendan Doherty discussed the indictments and the Wednesday morning arrests at a news conference that started at 3:30 p.m.

Both said they wanted to emphasize that the arrests and indictments represented the misdeeds of a "few rogue police officers" and did not reflect the good work of the hundreds of other men and women who work for the Providence Police Department.

The indictment handed up Monday by a grand jury named 24 individuals on a total of 89 counts, resulting from an investigation that began with an informant's tip to Rhode Island State Police in November 2009. The initial investigation had originally focused on Albert Hamlin, brother of Providence Police Robert Hamlin, a school resource officer

Enright was charged with shielding Albert Hamlin from being arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer.

Doherty said most of the 12 arrested Wednesday were picked up by the state police at their homes starting at 6:30 a.m.

State police contacted corrections Director A.T. Wall at the Adult Correctional Institutions Wednesday morning, and Wall told Messier to report to the administrative office, where he was arrested, State Police Capt. David Neill said at the press conference.

The arrests on Wednesday were partially the result of wiretaps involving more than 25,000 phone calls, including taps on the cell phones of three of the key defendants.

Operation Deception, a state police drug investigation, resulted in seven arrests in March, including three Providence police officers.

The three Providence police officers charged previously were not in court today. They face a June 30 arraignment in Superior Court.

Providence Police narcotics officer Robert Enright, center, is among those indicted today.

Those who appeared before Judge Robert D. Krause in a Superior Court session that took about 15 minutes are indicated by an asterisk. Those without an asterisk were named in the indictment but weren't in court:

Albert Hamlin, whom authorities allege was the drug operation's main distributor

Khalid Mason* of Central Falls

Joseph Colanduono, a Providence police officer

Robert Enright, a Providence police officer*

Christopher Caccia*

Christopher Cimini*

Frederick Koop*

Robert Hamlin, a Providence police officer

Jeremiah Harrison

Jameson Hassett

James Stanley*

Charles Adamonis*

Frank DeFruscio

Anthony Dipiro*

Stephen Gonsalves, a Providence police officer

Scott Lamont

Thomas Marrone

Mark Messier,* an employee of the Department of Corrections

Joseph Ortoleva*

Desiree Szarwak*

Daniel Scuncio

Patrick Stewart

Ronald Tabele*

Mario Zotti*

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