Hartford mayor seeks dismissal of corruption charges

HARTFORD, Conn.—A Hartford Superior Court judge has scheduled a hearing for Friday morning on Mayor Eddie Perez’s motion to have corruption charges against him dismissed.

Perez was arrested in January on charges he accepted a bribe from a city contractor. On Wednesday, authorities also charged him with trying to extort money from a developer.

Perez’s lawyer plans to argue that by making public arrest warrant affidavits Wednesday, prosecutors violated a state Supreme Court order that sealed the details of a grand jury investigation.

Attorney Hubert Santos said it will now be impossible for the mayor to receive a fair trial on the original charges. Jury selection is scheduled to begin next week.

The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday before Superior Court Judge Julia DiCocco Dewey.