A federal judge in New Haven set a new schedule for the criminal trial of five former utility cooperative officials indicted on public corruption charges in connection with lavish trips to the Kentucky Derby from 2013 to 2016.

The trial of the former Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative officials had been set to begin in early April, but the court ordered all trials scheduled to begin prior to May 3 to be postponed due to the difficulty in holding jury selection and trials in crowded courtrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer set the new trial date of Nov. 1, when evidence would begin to be heard. Jury selection is scheduled for Oct. 27 to 29. Two pretrial conferences are set for June 21 and Oct. 25. The trial schedule has been postponed four times since the five defendants were indicted in November 2018, twice due to the pandemic.

CMEEC hosted trips to the Kentucky Derby, called board retreats, from 2013 through 2016 for top staff, board members, family and dozens of invited guests. Two trips were taken to The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, and CMEEC made unrefunded deposits for a 2017 Kentucky Derby trip that was canceled.

Former CMEEC CEO Drew Rankin; former CMEEC Chief Financial Officer Edward Pryor; former Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda, the former CMEEC board vice chairman; former board Chairman James Sullivan of Norwich and former board Treasurer Edward DeMuzzio of Groton were indicted in November 2018 and face charges of conspiracy and theft from a program receiving federal funds.

Meyer had asked attorneys for the five defendants and U.S. prosecutors to propose a new schedule for a date “when the Court might reasonably be able to convene multi-defendant jury trials. Attorneys have estimated the trial could take two to three weeks, and given the number of defendants, attorneys, court staff and jurors, would require a crowded courtroom.

c.bessette@theday.com