Connecticut Mayor Sentenced to 9 Years for Corruption

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A former mayor of Bridgeport was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Tuesday for collecting more than $500,000 in bribes and kickbacks.

Joseph P. Ganim’s corrupt actions tarnished his attempts to improve Connecticut’s largest city and led to a general cynicism about politics, U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton said in sentencing him. He ordered Ganim, 43, to surrender Sept. 16.

Once a rising political star, Ganim often claimed credit for bringing Bridgeport back from bankruptcy. He was mayor from 1991 until he resigned in April, two weeks after he was convicted of 16 federal corruption counts including racketeering, extortion and bribery.

Ganim was charged in a municipal corruption scandal in which 10 people and one business pleaded guilty before his two-month trial began.

Prosecutors said Ganim, who led a mostly impoverished city, collected $529,505 from his accomplices, who received more than $2 million in bribe-generated consulting fees and profits.

Ganim was the only witness in his defense. He admitted he accepted gifts but denied they were in exchange for official actions.