SALEM — The former Beverly Hospital and Northeast Health System executive allegedly tied to the theft of art work that once hung in Goucester's Addison Gilbert Hospital pleaded guilty this afternoon to bribery and larceny charges and will serve 18 months in jail.
Paul Galzerano, 60, a former Northeast Health Systems associate vice president, admitted taking nearly $400,000 from the hospital through a variety of schemes, including soliciting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for contracts on the hospital's $50 million renovation project, as well as absconding with a grandfather clock and two paintings.
The plea, before Salem Superior Court Judge Howard Whitehead, came on what was to have been the first day of his trial on bribery and larceny charges.
Prosecutors with the Attorney General's Office had sought a four- to five-year state prison term, citing the violation of trust and the economic impact on a charitable hospital.
The hospital's general counsel spoke in support of that recommendation.
The judge, however, suggested that the benefits Galzerano received — having contractors perform work on his home and pay his mortgage and credit card bills, and the antique furnishings that decorated his Groveland home — are gone.
Galzerano is "essentially penniless," living in a shelter for homeless veterans in New Bedford, the judge said.
Whitehead sentenced Galzerano to two years in a house of correction, with 18 months to be served and the balance suspended for two years, along with two years of probation.
Because the sentence is a jail term, and not the state prison time sought by prosecutors, Galzerano will be eligible for parole in nine months.
The judge also agreed to grant Galzerano a stay until May 30, when he'll have to report to court to begin serving his sentence.
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Julie Manganis may be reached at 978-338-2521.
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