BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced Thursday the arrests of Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez, and the City's acting personnel director, David Dunn.
According to a release, the men allegedly rigged the 2018 police chief exam, mandated by the City’s Charter, to ensure Perez would be selected for the position.
Perez and Dunn are accused of conspiring to ensure he was ranked as one of the top three candidates and could therefore be awarded a five-year contract to serve as chief, while the department conducted an independent search process.
“As alleged, Chief Perez and Personnel Director Dunn schemed to rig the purportedly impartial and objective search for a permanent police chief to ensure the position was awarded to Perez, and then repeatedly lied to federal agents in order to conceal their conduct, Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. "Bridgeport’s citizens and police officers deserve leaders with integrity who are committed to enforcing, not breaking, the law, and we thank the FBI for their partnership in investigating and uncovering the scheme alleged.”
The U.S. Attorney provided the following details in a release:
More specifically, in or about February 2018, the City commenced a search to fill the position of permanent Chief of Police. Under the City’s Charter, the City was required to conduct an “open and competitive examination” to determine the top three scoring candidates for the position, from which the mayor could then choose. DUNN, in his role as the personnel director, oversaw the police chief examination process, and retained an outside consultant (“Consultant-1”) to assist with developing and carrying out the exam. DUNN and PEREZ then manipulated that examination process in multiple ways: DUNN stole confidential examination questions and related information developed by Consultant-1, and provided those materials to PEREZ, including by email; DUNN had Consultant-1 tailor the examination scoring criteria to favor PEREZ; PEREZ enlisted two BPD officers to secretly draft and write PEREZ’s written exam; and DUNN attempted to influence a panelist, tasked with ranking the candidates in the last stage of the exam, to ensure that PEREZ was scored as one of the top three candidates.
As a result of the scheme, the City was deceived into ranking PEREZ among the top three candidates, which rendered him eligible for the permanent police chief position. The mayor ultimately offered the position to PEREZ, and the City, under the assurance that PEREZ had been appointed in accordance with the City Charter, entered into a five-year contract with PEREZ, the terms of which included a payout of more than $300,000 to PEREZ for accrued leave.
The U.S. Attorney's office also reported that both men lied to FBI agents about facts material to the criminal investigation.
PEREZ provided false and misleading information about the assistance DUNN and others had provided him in connection with the examination process, including his requests to a BPD officer to sneak into headquarters to retrieve stolen confidential information provided by DUNN. DUNN falsely denied requesting an exam panelist ensure that PEREZ was scored as one of the top three candidates.
Their charges are as follows:
Perez
- One count of wire fraud
- One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Two counts of false statements to federal investigators
Dunn
- One count of wire fraud
- One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- One count of false statements to federal investigators
The wire fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the false statement charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Both are expected to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Thursday.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit and White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli J. Mark and Jeffrey C. Coffman, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan N. Francis of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, are in charge of the prosecution.
Mayor Joe Ganim tweeted Thursday saying Chief Perez has resigned and will be replaced by Assistant Chief Rebeca Garcia as acting chief.