1 year in jail for conniving ex-cop chief
A former Bridgeport, Conn., police chief was sentenced to one year in prison Monday for rigging the city’s search for a new top cop in his favor.
Armando Perez, who was serving as acting police chief of the city in 2018, stole information on questions that would appear on a critical exam and enlisted two cops to help him draft answers to a written portion of the test.
With the help of an accomplice, he also persuaded a consultant developing the exam to tailor criteria so he’d be the clear favorite. Perez, 64, then lied about the scheme while being questioned by the FBI.
“Former
Chief Perez [photo] schemed to rig the search for a permanent police chief to ensure the position was awarded to him, and then he repeatedly lied to federal agents in order to conceal his conduct. Today’s sentence sends a strong message that public officials will be held accountable when they corruptly put their own self-interest above their duties to faithfully serve their citizens,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said.
The sentence was officially one year and one day, giving Perez the chance of completing his sentence early through good behavior. Manhattan federal prosecutors handled the case because authorities in Connecticut were recused.
Bridgeport’s acting personnel director at the time, David Dunn, played a key role in the scheme, prosecutors said.
Dunn oversaw the police chief examination process and hired a consultant to design and administer the exam. Dunn stole confidential info on exam questions from the consultant, which he then passed to Perez, prosecutors said. Dunn is awaiting sentencing for his role in the plot.
As part of an effort to cheat on the oral portion of the exam, Perez requested an officer “sneak in” to Bridgeport Police headquarters to retrieve draft answers for questions, prosecutors said.
The scheme worked: A fiveyear contract was offered to Perez. He resigned after his arrest in September.
Perez “fully recognizes the wrongfulness of his conduct, and he fully appreciates that he has no one to blame but himself,” Perez’s attorney Robert Frost wrote.