Defendants in Perez Investigation Plead Not Guilty
Mayor Perez is due back in court Friday
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Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez heads to court Tuesday for the second case against him.
Hartford City Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson and Farmington businessman Carlos Lopez appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Friday, to defend themselves against charges filed in the state corruption investigation of Mayor Eddie Perez and city government
Both denied the allegations and their lawyers asked a judge for jury trials.
Airey-Wilson is charged with fabricating evidence for allegedly false records showing she paid a city contractor for a home improvement. Lopez, a Farmington resident, is charged with fraudulently voting in Hartford elections.
Last week, Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez’s made a short, quiet appearance before a judge on the attempted extortion and conspiracy charges that were filed against him the week before.
He and former Hartford state Rep. Abraham Giles are accused of trying to extort $250,000 from a real estate developer. Both men deny the allegations.
Giles, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice paid the city $500 a month to use the property at 1143 Main St. as a parking lot. The warrants allege that Giles initially demanded $250,000 from the prospective developer for the project to go forward, but later reduced that amount to $100,000.
Perez made the satisfaction of Giles a condition for allowing the development project to proceed, the warrants allege.
The charges came almost eight months after Perez was charged with taking a bribe from a city contractor who renovated his home.
He also denies those claims, and that case remains pending.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Connecticut
Posted Friday, Sep 18, 2009 - 1:06 PM EST
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