Producers weighed Shelton this month as a filming locale for a motion picture under development. The working title “Prisoners” offered a bit of gallows humor given current federal investigations in the city.
As federal prosecutors continue investigating Shelton developer James Botti on suspicion of bribing Shelton officials, a federal jury in New Haven found Botti guilty of “structuring” bank deposits, a scheme in which individuals attempt to avoid reporting income to the IRS by repeatedly making bank deposits in amounts under $10,000, the limit at which banks must report transactions.
Botti filed notice he would appeal the verdict, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and to appeal an order to disgorge $120,000.
Federal prosecutors have been investigating Botti as part of a larger probe into whether Shelton officials accepted Botti bribes in exchange for support of construction projects by his Crown Point Associates L.L.C., which has built retail strips along Bridgeport Avenue.
In the original indictment, prosecutors said Botti attempted to influence “Shelton Public Official No. 1” as well as members of the city”™s zoning and planning commission, without initially revealing names.
Subsequent news reports have identified Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti as the senior public official at the center of the investigation. Lauretti has not been charged in connection with the case and has denied any wrongdoing.
Despite Botti remaining in the headlines via the recent verdict and upcoming trial, the Republican Lauretti easily defeated Democrat challenger Chris Jones this month to win a 10th two-year term. Just under half of the city”™s eligible voters cast ballots, among the 25 best turnouts in the state.
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Lauretti”™s campaign was helped both by a significant base of Republicans in Shelton, as well as by the city”™s growth. That transformation during his tenure, including in the immediate aftermath of the Wall Street collapse when Shelton increased its net Grand List property tax revenue 2.1 percent, resulting in $2 million in additional revenue.
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“Our business community needs to know that Shelton is the most affordable place with the highest quality of life in which to do business in the state of Connecticut,” Lauretti said earlier this year in a budget presentation to city officials. “Our conservative fiscal policies over the last almost two decades have placed us in the best possible position to weather the current economic storm.”
The Botti case offers a possible asterisk to what has been among the most impressive economic development stories in Connecticut in the past few decades, as developer Robert Scinto has built gleaming office parks that have attracted significant corporate entities, while other entities like Pitney Bowes Inc. have occupied major installations in other parts of the city.
Contributing to the city”™s prosperity has been the sustained growth at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in neighboring Stratford, which employs more than 9,000 people today thanks to the need for helicopters and parts to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After news of the investigation broke, Scinto expressed dismay and said the case should not be used to paint Shelton in a negative light, given its remarkable growth and favorable location.
Others, however, point to the problems the city of Bridgeport had in attracting new developments after the 2003 conviction on corruption charges of former Mayor Joseph Ganim, who was released from prison earlier this year.
