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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 20 February 2018

Republican state senator charged with extorting page for sex

By MICHELLE R. SMITH seats is open, and a special
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A election is scheduled to fill
grand jury indictment un- it.
sealed Monday accuses The House runs its own
a Republican state sena- page program. A spokes-
tor of extorting sex from a man for Democratic House
page in the Senate's page Speaker Nicholas Matti-
program. ello said there have been
The indictment was un- no complaints about the
sealed as Senate Minority House program. Mattiello
Whip Nicholas Kettle was last week designated a for-
arraigned on two counts mer long-term page and
of extortion in Providence current General Assembly
Superior Court. Kettle, of employee to serve as a li-
Coventry, is accused of ex- aison to the House pages
torting a male page for sex in case any concerns arise,
multiple times. He pleaded spokesman Larry Berman
not guilty and was released said.
on $50,000 personal recog- A state police affidavit
nizance. on the video voyeurism
The news prompted Dem- charge released Mon-
ocratic Senate President day afternoon said Kettle
Dominick Ruggerio to again sent naked pictures of his
call for Kettle to resign im- then-girlfriend without her
mediately. He said he was knowledge to a friend in
"horrified and disgusted by New Hampshire. Zach-
these allegations." Rhode Island Senate Minority Whip Nicholas Kettle, appears in Superior Court in Providence on ary Brennan, of Springfield,
"We in the Senate are Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. A grand jury indictment unsealed Monday accuses Kettle of extorting sex New Hampshire, then sent
deeply shaken," he said. from a page in the Rhode Island Senate page program. Kettle, 27, of Coventry, pleaded not guilty back naked pictures of
If Kettle refuses to step and was released on $50,000 personal recognizance. his wife, according to the
(Steve Szydlowski/Providence Journal via AP)
down, the Senate will pur- affidavit.q
sue his expulsion, Ruggerio The indictment says Kettle records show the page
said. He said he also asked extorted the page into sex ran against Kettle as an in-
the Senate's chief legal on two occasions in 2011. dependent in 2014, three
counsel to conduct an The indictment names the years after the extortion is
immediate review of the page, but The Associated alleged to have occurred.
page program. Press does not identify peo- House Minority Leader Den-
"We have spoken to most ple who may be victims nis Algiere also has called
of the pages to ensure that of sex crimes unless they on Kettle to resign.
they are aware of their come forward and agree Senate spokesman Greg
rights in the workplace as to have their names pub- Pare said the Senate page
well as procedures for re- lished. The page's LinkedIn program includes 67 pag-
porting anything inappro- profile says he served as a es, all hired at the recom-
priate," Ruggerio said. page from February 2011 mendation of senators. The
Kettle, who's 27 years old, to May 2012. pages, who usually range
was indicted last week, but Kettle, who's among five in age from 15 through col-
the details of the extortion Republicans in the 38-mem- lege age, help lawmakers
counts remained sealed ber Senate, did not speak with errands at the Rhode
over the weekend. State to reporters outside court Island Statehouse. Pare said
police separately charged and did not comment on the page Kettle is alleged
Kettle with video voyeur- whether he would resign, to have extorted for sex did
ism on Friday, and his law- but his lawyer described not lodge any complaints
yer has said he denies any the page as a political rival while he was a page.
wrongdoing. of Kettle's. State elections One of the Senate's 38