Three men were arraigned Thursday in Providence District Court in connection with a series of copper wire thefts.
Prosecutors identified the defendants as 46-year-old Jason Smith, 39-year-old Jared Smith, and 70-year-old Joseph Fiyod. All three are accused of working together to steal electrical wire from state and city property and then selling it for scrap.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials estimate roughly 11 miles of electrical wire was stolen from highways in Providence, Cranston, Johnston and Warwick, with material costs alone exceeding $470,000…