Saturday, September 25, 2010
Hang 'Em High in Hartford
HARTFORD — Since his conviction three months ago, Eddie Perez resigned as Hartford mayor, dropped out of the public eye, and vowed to put his energy into clearing his name through an appeal.
He learns today how much of his efforts might be done from a state prison cell....
More than 200 people have submitted letters to the judge supporting Perez, including current or former top leaders of The Hartford Financial Services, United Technologies Corp., University of Hartford, and the Archdiocese of Hartford, according to documents reviewed by the Associated Press.
All the more reason to string him up.
Prosecutors say that Perez accepted $40,000 in home improvements as a bribe from a contractor to keep him on a $2.4 million contract and that he tried to extort $100,000 from a developer for a political ally. Perez abused his position and violated the public’s trust, prosecutors added, and his insistence he is innocent despite the jury verdict shows a lack of accountability.
Perez’s lawyers say that he was distracted by his wife’s near-fatal brain aneurysms and heart problems and that he failed to read details in documents used to incriminate him because of dyslexia and a heavy workload....
You know, we all have problems. What gives this scumbag living off taxpayer dime a pass?
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"Ex-mayor of Hartford is sentenced to prison; Good deeds not enough, judge says" by Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press | September 15, 2010
HARTFORD — A judge sentenced Eddie Perez yesterday to three years in prison for taking a bribe and attempted extortion, saying the former mayor had to be held accountable for his actions despite all his good deeds.
The letters must have been read.
Hartford Superior Court Judge Julia Dewey said Perez also must serve three years of probation after the jail time....
Fourteen people testified on behalf of Perez during the sentencing hearing, describing how he helped them and the city.
And himself.
They urged the judge not to impose prison time.
As family members cried in the courtroom, Perez acknowledged a “lapse of judgment’’ and asked Dewey for mercy.
“I will live with the consequences of my actions for my entire life,’’ he told the judge.
“The city has suffered. My family has suffered. I have suffered. Each and every day, your honor, . . . for the rest of my life I will make amends and pursue forgiveness.’’
Notice it is ALWAYS ABOUT THEIR NARCISSISTIC SELVES and not what they have done wrong?
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“Notwithstanding the jury’s verdict in this case, Mr. Perez’s life has been defined by hard work, integrity, and honesty,’’ his attorneys, Hope Seeley and Hubert Santos, wrote in a presentencing report to Dewey. He “desperately wants to renew his commitment to service to his community and redeem his reputation as an honest, ethical person.’’
And up comes breakfast.
Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Gailor said Perez showed no remorse for his actions, which he said appeared to be driven by a sense of entitlement....
That was the same impression I received.
Of course, all politicians feel that way.
Corruption investigations have brought down several Connecticut politicians in recent decades, though almost always in federal court rather than in state court.
Governor John G. Rowland resigned in 2004 and served 10 months in federal prison after admitting he traded political access for vacations and repairs to his lakeside cottage.
A former mayor of Bridgeport, Joseph Ganim, served nearly seven years in prison on a corruption conviction and was released this summer from a halfway house. Philip Giordano, a former mayor of Waterbury, is serving a 37-year federal sentence for sexually abusing two young girls....
Nice crop you are electing down there.
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Next in line for the loop:
"Gambling backers gather to target N.E.
The gambling industry continues to explore the idea of more casino gambling in New England. State lawmakers, business executives, lawyers, industry analysts, and others are expected to gather today and tomorrow at a regional conference at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. BNP Media, an industry media company, and Spectrum Gaming Group, a research firm, are sponsoring the first New England Gaming Summit. An organizer says the failed effort in Massachusetts this year to permit casino gambling was one reason organizers turned to New England for the conference. Charles Anderer of BNP Media said legislative uncertainty remains in Massachusetts, but looking at gambling regionally makes sense.
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