Bridgeport’s Perez, Dunn likely going to minimum security prisons
BRIDGEPORT — Former city police chief Armando “AJ” Perez and personnel director David Dunn will likely end up in a minimum security prison.
Perez was sentenced Monday to a year and a day behind bars and Dunn to four months on Tuesday for their roles in cheating on the police chief selection process to make Perez police chief.
After imposing each sentence U.S. District Judge Kari Dooley said she would recommend the men serve their sentences at either the minimum security camp at the Federal Correctional Institution at Otisville, N.Y., or the similar camp at the Federal Correctional Institute Schuylkill in Minersville,
Pa.
Perez was ordered to surrender to federal prison officials on May 24, Dunn is to surrender the next day.
The Otisville camp holds 61 inmates. Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen briefly served time there.
Dunn’s lawyer, Frederick Paoletti Jr., said later that he recommended the two facilities to the judge for his client “because of the proximity to his home and they would be appropriate for his needs.” He said those needs include his client’s age, 73, and health concerns.
“The two facilities fit that criteria,” Paoletti said.
A federal probation officer told the judge Tuesday that both Perez and Dunn could serve in the same facility.
“If an individual were to come into (Bureau of Prisons) custody, per BOP policy, specific designation information is not releasable until after an individual arrives at his or her destination,” said Emery Nelson, of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
He would not comment on whether special precautions would be taken because Perez is former law enforcement.
Nelson said the Bureau of Prisons designates individuals to institutions based on a number of factors, including the level of security and supervision the inmate requires, any medical or programming needs, separation and security measures to ensure the inmates’ protection, and other considerations including proximity to an individual's release residence.
By giving Perez a year and a day sentence, Judge Dooley was in essence doing him a favor. Inmates can only earn “good time” credit on sentences over a year, according to U.S. code.
“While we don't discuss a specific inmate’s release method, we can share that an inmate's time served includes calculation of good conduct time earned by the inmate in accordance with (U.S. prison regulations),” Nelson said.
Under the First Step Act, inmates may earn up to 54 days of good conduct time for each year of the term imposed. Additionally, inmates may also receive credit for time incarcerated prior to their date of sentencing.