Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez will have to go to court on corruption charges after a judge said the charges would not be dismissed. However, the case will not go to court until February. The trial has been delayed.
After an hour-long hearing on Friday morning on the motion to dismiss corruption charges filed against him, the judge denied the motion and said the prosecution has every right to file new charges when they want, even if it's on the eve of trial.
In January, Perez was charged with accepting a bribe from a city contractor who did work at this home, prosecutors said. He was arrested again this week and turned himself in to police Wednesday on extortion charges.
Perez’s attorneys argued that prosecutors deliberately filed the charges this week to generate publicity and derail the mayor's upcoming trial. Prosecutors said that's not the case.
Jury selection for a trial on the first charges is scheduled for next week. Santos says the state's attorney filed the new charges to sabotage the mayor's chance at a fair trial.
The defense said there's no way they can go forward next week.
The trial has been delayed until February.
