Former Hartford mayor to get new trial
HARTFORD — The Connecticut Appellate Court has set aside the corruption convictions of Hartford's former mayor.
Eddie Perez was convicted in 2010 of receiving a bribe from a city contractor in the form of home improvements and trying to extort a $100,000 payment from a developer. He was sentenced to three years in prison but is free on an appeal bond.
The court ruled Monday a judge improperly combined the two cases against the mayor, and ordered separate trials.
His lawyers had argued that combining the cases prejudiced the jury, and holding two trials would have allowed Perez, who did not take the stand, to testify in one case and not the other.
Prosecutors have the option of dropping the cases, going forward with new trials, or appealing to the state Supreme Court.
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