September 11, 2020 - 1:46 PM
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The acting personnel director of Bridgeport, Connecticut, resigned Friday, a day after he and the police chief were arrested on federal fraud charges.
The city confirmed it had received David Dunn's resignation on Friday. Police Chief Armando Perez stepped down Thursday afternoon after the two were arraigned in U.S. District Court.
They are accused of rigging the process that led to the city hiring Perez as chief in 2018.
Messages seeking comment were left Friday for their attorneys. Both defendants declined to comment as they left court Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, Dunn gave confidential materials, including answers to the oral portion of the police chief exam, to Perez and tailored the scoring criteria for that exam in Perez’s favour.
Perez, investigators said, also had two police officers secretly take the written portion of the exam for him.
Dunn, 72, also instructed officials to eliminate a scoring penalty imposed if the candidates did not have a bachelor’s degree, the complaint said. Perez was the only applicant without one, authorities said.
The manoeuvrs were designed to ensure that Perez, who had been with the police department of Connecticut's largest city for nearly four decades, was ranked among the top three candidates and could thus qualify to be awarded a five-year contract as chief, the complaint said.
The terms of his contract included a $300,000 payout for accrued leave and an annual salary of about $145,000, the complaint said.
Assistant Police Chief Rebeca Garcia was sworn in Thursday evening by Mayor Joe Ganim as acting chief.
Ganim's office said the city attorney's office has received a copy of the sealed complaint and is reviewing the charges.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020