© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We received reports that some iPhone users with the latest version of iOS (v17.4) cannot play audio via the Grove Persistent Player.
While we work to fix the issue, we recommend downloading the WSHU app.

Bridgeport City Council Wants $300K From Convicted Ex-Chief, Personnel Director

Bridgeport Police Chief Armando "A.J." Perez leaves the Brien McMahon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse out a back door on Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn. Perez was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he rigged the police chief hiring process.
Jessica Hill
/
Associated Press
Bridgeport Police Chief Armando "A.J." Perez leaves the Brien McMahon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse out a back door on Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn. Perez was arrested Thursday on federal charges that he rigged the police chief hiring process.

The city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, wants a total of $300,000 from an ex-chief of police and a city hall worker, who pleaded guilty to a job rigging scandal in federal court last year.

Ex-Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez and former personnel director David Dunn have already paid about $150,000. That was suggested by federal prosecutors.

Maria Periera serves on the City Council. She said the council should have sought much more. Periera said taxpayers have already paid close to $700,000 in legal fees related to the job rigging investigation.

“I believe we should seek all of that and of course we have two major lawsuits that have been filed now,” Periera said.

Periera said the city could face huge payouts for those lawsuits, brought by police over the job scandal.

The judge would need to approve the additional $150,000 requested by city council.

Cassandra Basler, a former senior editor at WSHU, came to the station by way of Columbia Journalism School in New York City. When she's not reporting on wealth and poverty, she's writing about food and family.