NATION IN BRIEF : RHODE ISLAND : Mayor Gets 5 1/2 Years in Racketeering Case

The former mayor of Pawtucket, R.I., was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison by a judge who said the man’s City Hall extortion ring had violated the public trust “on a massive scale.” Brian J. Sarault, who resigned in November, had pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge in connection with an extortion ring that prosecutors said may have netted more than $1 million from companies and individuals seeking city contracts. U.S. District Judge Ernest C. Torres also ordered Sarault to begin paying a $20,000 fine two years after he is released from prison.