(HE)
STUNNING NEW
DEVELOPMENTS IN A
TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS'
EXCLUSIVE.
WE'VE LEARNED ---
HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF
STATE POLICE
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AT
THE CENTER OF A
CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST
JOHN CARNEVALE... HAS
BEEN ERASED.
(SN)
THE SHOCKING
REVELATION CAME TO
LIGHT AT A COURT
HEARING THIS MORNING.
CARNEVALE IS FACING
FELONY CHARGES THAT
HE LIED TO ELECTION
OFFICIALS ABOUT WHERE
HE LIVED.
(HE)
THE CASE FOLLOWS OUR
TARGET 12 UNDERCOVER
INVESTIGATION THAT
RAISED SERIOUS
QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT
CARNEVALE ACTUALLY
LIVED IN THE DISTRICT HE
REPRESENTS.
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE WAS IN COURT
TODAY -- AND IS HERE
NOW WITH THE
EXCLUSIVE DETAILS
(TW)
THE STATE POLICE SET UP
TWO SURVEILLANCE
CAMERAS ON JOHN
CARNEVALE'S
PROVIDENCE HOME
FOLLOWING OUR
REPORT...
RECORDING VIDEO FOR
30 DAYS STRAIGHT BACK
IN 2016.
NOW WE'VE LEARNED,
THAT VIDEO IS GONE.
WITHIN WEEKS OF A TARGET 12
UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION
ON THEN-STATE REP. JOHN
CARNEVALE....
STATE POLICE SET UP THEIR
OWN SURVEILLANCE.
PUTTING TWO HIDDEN CAMEAS
ON A HOME CARNEVALE
CLAIMED TO LIVE IN ON
BARBARA STREE IN
PROVIDENCE.
THEY'RE CALLED POLE
CAMERAS,
USED ROUTINELY BY
DETECTIVES, THE CAMERAS
ARE MOUNTED ON TELEPHONE
POLES TO RECORD
SERIPTIOUSLY ON A LOCATION.
ACCORDING TO CARNEVALE'S
ATTORNEY WILLIAM DIMITRI...
THE STATE POLICE CAPTURED
KEPT WATCH FOR A MONTH.
My estimation is it was about
1,440
hours of video surveillance.
DIMITRI SAYS HE ASKED
PROSECUTORS FOR A COPY OF
THE VIDEO TO REVIEW,
BUT WAS TOLD EARLIER THIS
WEEK...
THE STORAGE SYSTEM LASTS
FOR ONLY 30 DAYS, AND THE
VIDEO WASN'T BACKED UP.
Knowing they were investigating
this
I think it is inexcsuable and I
am
seeking further discovery at
this
point
STATE POLICE LT. COLONEL
JOSEPH PHILBIN TELLS TARGET
12:
"...we stand by the
investigation and
the charges brought forward
against
Mr. Carnevale."
HE ADDED THE VIDEO WAS
ERASED IN 2016 WHEN THE
POLE CAMERAS WERE MOVED
TO ANOTHER CASE AND
DETECTIVES THOUGHT THE
CARNEVALE PROBE WAS
CLOSED.
IN THE WAKE OF THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATION,
CARNEVALE TURNED HIMSELF
INTO STATE POLICE IN JANUARY
2017 AFTER HE WAS INDICTED
ON CHARGES THAT HE LIED TO
ELECTION OFFICIALS ABOUT
WHERE HE LIVED.
HE HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY.
(TW)
TODAY'S HEARING WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE TO TELL
THE COURTS IF
CARNEVALE WAS GOING
TO ACCEPT A PLEA DEAL
OR NOT,
BUT DIMITRI SAYS AFTER
THEY LEARNED OF THE
MISSING VIDEO, THEY'VE
ASKED FOR MORE TIME TO
CONSIDER THEIR
OPTIONS.
THEY WILL BE BACK IN
COURT IN TWO WEEKS.
NEW AT 6: HEAR WHAT
THE JUDGE HAD TO SAY
WHEN HE WAS TOLD THE
VIDEO, VANISHED.
WITH THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIM WHITE
(HE)
WE BEGIN WITH MAJOR
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN A
TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS'
EXCLUSIVE
A STUNNING REVELATION
TODAY IN THE CRIMINAL
CASE AGAINST EMBATTLED
FORMER STATE REP. JOHN
CARNEVALE.
(SN)
WE'VE LEARNED
HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF
STATE POLICE
UNDERCOVER VIDEO
FROM THE CARNEVALE
PROBE...
... HAS BEEN ERASED.
(HE)
AS YOU MAY REMEMBER...
CARNEVALE WAS
INDICTED ON CHARGES
THAT HE LIED TO CITY
ELECTION OFFICIALS
ABOUT WHERE HE LIVED,
FOLLOWING OUR TARGET
12 UNDCOVER
INVESTIGATION.
(SN)
TIM WHITE WAS IN THE
COURTROOM AND JOINS
US IN STUDIO NOW... TIM
THIS DEVELOPMENT MUST
HAVE COME AS A SHOCK.
(TW)
IT WAS A MAJOR
SURPRISE ---
(TW)
WE KNEW THE STATE
POLICE CONDUCTED
THEIR OWN UNDERCOVER
SURVEILLANCE STING
FOLLOWING OUR REPORT.
FOR 30 DAYS STRAIGHT
BACK IN 2016, DETECTIVES
KEPT CLOSE WATCH ON A
PROVIDENCE HOME
OWNED BY CARNEVALE...
NOW... THAT VIDEO HAS
VANISHED.
THIS UNDERCOVER VIDEO
FROM TARGET 12 SHOWS
THEN-STATE REP JOHN
CARNEVALE AT A HOME HE
OWNED IN JOHNSTON...
NOT IN THE PROVIDENCE
DISTRICT HE REPRESENTED AS
A LAWMAKER.
"You have no story"
IN THE WAKE OF OUR REPORT,
STATE POLICE SECRETLY SET
UP WHAT'S CALLED POLE
CAMERAS OUTSIDE
CARNEVALE'S BARBARA
STREET PROPERTY...
...ROUTINELY USED BY
DETECTIVES TO SPY ON A
LOCATION FOR EXTENDED
PERIODS OF TIME.
IN COURT,
CARNEVALE'S ATTORNEY
WILLIAM DIMITRI SAYS A STATE
POLICE INVESTIGATOR
TESTIFIED BEFORE A GRAND
JURY THE VIDEO SHOWED
CARNEVALE AT THE HOUSE
ONLY A FEW TIMES OVER A 30
DAY PERIOD.
BUT NOW THE VIDEO,
IS GONE.
(0148) White: How important is
it to
you to review that video?
DiMitri: To me its very
important
because it goes to the basic
gist of
these charges as to whether or
not
John was living there.
In court Dimitri told the judge
he
believes it is more than
14-hundred
hours of undercover video by the
state police that has vanished.
DIMITRI SAYS HE WAS TOLD THE
POLE CAMERA STORAGE
SYSTEM LASTS FOR ONLY 30
DAYS, AND THE VIDEO WASN'T
BACKED UP.
NOW HE'S ASKING FOR MORE
TIME TO CONSIDER OPTIONS.
(0141) Because I think it is
going to
be an issue should this case go
to
trial.
STATE POLICE LT. COLONEL
JOSEPH PHILBIN TELLS TARGET
12 THEY STAND BY THE CASE
AGAINST CARNEVALE.
ADDING THE VIDEO WAS
ERASED IN 2016 WHEN THE
POLE CAMERAS WERE MOVED
TO ANOTHER CASE AND
DETECTIVES THOUGHT THE
CARNEVALE PROBE WAS
CLOSED.
IN COURT, SUPERIOR COURT
JUDGE BENNETT GALLO
REACTED TO THE NEWS OF THE
MISSING VIDEO SAYING:
"It's a bit disconcerting to
learn the
police conducted a month of
surveillance with pole cameras
and
the tapes were not preserved."
(TW)
CARNEVALE HAS
PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO
CHARGES HE LIED TO
ELECTION OFFICIALS
ABOUT WHERE HE LIVED.
THE JUDGE AGREED TO
CONTINUE THE CASE TO
LATER THIS MONTH.
STEVE, SHANNON.
(HE)
TIM, DO YOU HAVE A
SENSE AS TO HOW
DAMAGING IT IS TO
PROSECUTORS THAT THE
STATE POLICE VIDEO HAS
BEEN ERASED.
(TW)
IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T
HELP.
BUT... DETECTIVES ALSO
INTERVIEWED FORMER
TENANTS OF JOHN
CARNEVALE, SO THEIR
TESTIMONY WILL BE
IMPORTANT ABOUT WHAT
THEY SAW.
KEEP IN MIND TODAY'S
HEARING WAS
SCHEDULED FOR
CARNEVALE TO TELL THE
JUDGE WHETHER OR NOT
HE WAS GOING TO ACCEPT
A PLEA DEAL FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
OFFICE.
NOW THINGS ARE VERY
DIFFERENT AND THEY
HAVE MORE TIME TO
DECIDE.
(SN)
TARGET 12 INVESTIGATOR
TIM WHITE, THANKS.
(SN)
IF YOU WANT TO SEND A
TIP - OR REPORT
GOVERNMENT WASTE -
CALL THE TARGET 12
INVESTIGATORS TIPLINE AT
228-1763 - OR E-MAIL US AT
TARGET-12 AT W-P-R-I DOT
COM.