Sentencing pushed back for ex-Bridgeport official
BRIDGEPORT — Former City Personnel Director David Dunn has been granted a continuance in his sentencing hearing on federal charges that he conspired with former Police Chief Armando Perez to rig the examination process so that Perez would become the city’s permanent police chief.
U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley agreed to continue the sentencing hearing from Jan. 11 to Feb. 26. Federal prosecutors had no objection to the continuance. Dunn will now be sentenced one day after Perez, who was granted a continuance to Feb. 25 last month.
Dunn’s lawyer, Frederick Paoletti, confirmed his request for a continuance had been granted but declined comment.
Both Perez and Dunn requested continuances for the same reason, according to court documents — that the city intends to submit a report to the court requesting restitution in the case. City officials have not responded to requests for that restitution request.
“Mr. Dunn will need time to review and respond to the city’s submission,” Dunn’s motion for a continuance states.
In October, Perez, 64, and Dunn, 73, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making a false statement. They each face up to 24 months in prison. Perez and Dunn resigned their jobs after their arrests in September.
Federal prosecutors said Dunn assisted Perez by providing him with the test questions in advance and two unnamed police officers helped Perez write his application and test responses. Mayor Joe Ganim had to pick a police chief from the top three qualified candidates. He ultimately awarded the five-year contract to Perez.
According to the criminal complaint, on an Oct. 17, 2018, phone call between Dunn and one of the interview panelists, “Dunn stated that the Mayor wanted Perez to be ‘in the top three.’ Panelist-1 understood Dunn to be asking Panelist-1 to score Perez higher and/ or to influence other panelists to do the same.”
Dunn later denied to the FBI that anybody tried to influence the panelists on Perez’s behalf, the complaint states.
The complaint states that Perez, after being told of the allegations against him, spent hours telling FBI agents that it wasn’t true even though they had recordings of him telling officers to get him the prepared answers for the exam.
The state’s attorney general later filed suit against Perez and Dunn seeking to revoke their pensions after prosecutors said their actions cost the city $149,405.