Former Bridgeport police chief, personnel director plead guilty to rigging search
BRIDGEPORT — Former Police Chief Armando Perez and former Personnel Director David Dunn are facing up to 24 months in prison each after pleading guilty Monday in U.S. District Court here to conspiring with to rig the examination process that led to Perez’s appointment as police chief and then lying to the FBI about it.
In addition to the possible prison sentences after Perez, 64, and Dunn, 73, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making a false statement, the judge also is requiring that $149,405 in restitution be made to the city.
Perez is to be sentenced Jan. 4. Dunn will be sentenced Jan. 11. There was nothing said on the record regarding whether Perez or Dunn will have to cooperate with the grand jury investigation of activities in the city.
In a terse exchange, Perez admitted to the charges:
Judge Kari Dooley: “You received inside, confidential information about what the examination for police chief would be?”
Perez: “Yes, I did.”
Dooley: “And you enlisted others to prepare both the written and oral examination?”
Perez: Yes, your honor.”
A half hour later it was Dunn’s turn to plead guilty to the same charges.
Dooley: “So you obtained and provided then-Chief Perez with information about both the written and oral examination for the chief’s position?” Dunn: “Yes, I did.”
Dooley: “And ultimately when asked about that lied to the FBI?” Dunn: “Yes.”
The two men, who resigned from the city after their arrests last month, waived grand jury indictments, acknowledging the government had strong cases against them.
“We did review what the evidence would be against Mr. Perez and it was sufficient for him to make this decision here today,” Perez’s lawyer, Robert Frost, told the judge.
“We’ve had some very detailed information laid out by the government, very detailed in the complaint and other documents illustrating what the evidence is the government
has,” Dunn’s lawyer, Frederick Paoletti, told the judge during his client’s plea hearing.
Both Perez and Dunn could also face having their city pensions revoked as a result of a 2008 state anticorruption law.
“This is obviously a sad day for our city,” said Mayor Joe Ganim’s spokeswoman, Rowena White. “However, today’s pleas help bring closure to this matter and to what has been a very difficult year for the city. We all look forward to continuing to work hard every day on behalf of the people of Bridgeport.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis told the judge the government was prepared to prove its case against Perez and Dunn using witness testimony, documents, emails, text messages and consensual recordings of both meetings and telephone calls.
“The defendant, who was the acting Bridgeport police chief, and Mr. Dunn corruptly agreed to scheme to rig the examination process required by the city charter in order to make sure Mr. Perez was one of the three examination finalists and thereby eligible to be named the permanent police chief,” Francis said.
Both Perez and Dunn appeared nervous as they stood in the courtroom before the judge. Asked separately if they had taken any drugs that might influence their decision, Perez told the judge, “I had a little
wine last night with my spaghetti dinner,” but added it was not affecting him in court.
The federal complaint paints a picture of Perez as desperate to be appointed permanent top cop but frustrated with his inability to fill out the necessary paperwork and answer exam questions. So, allegedly, 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.
According to the 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.”
Ganim had to pick a police chief from the top three qualified candidates. He ultimately awarded the five-year contract to Perez.
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.