© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Judge Grants Sentencing Delay For Convicted Former Bridgeport Police Chief

Bridgeport Ex-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 Ex-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.

A federal judge has agreed to extend sentencing to April for former Bridgeport police chief A.J. Perez, who pled guilty in a fraud case last year. The judge also extended sentencing for the city's former personnel David Dunn, who also pled guilty in the same case.

Perez also wants a court to make sure his guilty plea in a federal fraud case doesn’t affect his pension.

Armando "A.J." Perez pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and lying to the FBI. Prosecutors say he worked with the city’s personnel director to ensure he would get the job of police chief while he served as acting chief.

An attorney for Perez said the former Bridgeport Police Chief has a medical appointment for an ongoing health issue scheduled for mid-February. The attorney said the appointment could provide information that could be useful for sentencing.

Perez’s attorney also said he needs more time to reach an agreement to pay back the city. Federal prosecutors want Perez to pay Bridgeport nearly $150,000 the city spent on its search for a new police chief.

Perez’s attorney said his pension shouldn’t be affected because he accrued it before he became the city’s police chief. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said state law requires a public official’s pension be revoked or reduced for crimes on the job.

If he keeps his full pension, Perez will receive just over $100,000 a year.

Judge Grants Sentencing Delay For Convicted Former Bridgeport Police Chief

Copyright 2021 WSHU

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.