After months of speculation, it’s now official, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti was named in the federal bribery trial of real estate developer James botti. According to the Courant:

Botti, a car aficionado, wanted to be a big commercial developer but believed Shelton was corrupt and that he had to pay off the mayor to get projects approved, Schechter said. Botti said he could expose the corrupt activities of 17 other developers and many officials, the prosecutor said.

“James Botti bought public officials as often as he bought automobiles. Like a nice car, Mark Lauretti didn’t come cheaply,” Schechter said, adding that Botti complained that the mayor was greedy. “The evidence will show James Botti fed that greed.”

When planning and zoning officials didn’t want to approve the restaurant and bank project for Botti, Lauretti intervened to ensure he won approval, Schechter said. Botti also provided benefits to those officials, he said.

The home repairs came in 2002, but Lauretti didn’t pay Botti until 2004 after news broke that then-Gov. John G. Rowland was under investigation for corruption, authorities said. Even after Lauretti paid the developer, Botti managed to funnel $9,000 back to the mayor through a Christmas party at a restaurant Lauretti owned, authorities said.

Botti’s attorney, William Dow III, said in his opening statement the two men are childhood friends and there were no bribes. He said the developer did favors for the mayor as his friend and helped arrange work on the mayor’s house.

Dow described Shelton as an insular community where residents often do favors for friends without expecting anything in return. He said Lauretti’s job was to advocate projects he believed could economically benefit the city.

“It is expected mayors are going to get their hands dirty,” Dow said. “There is no shame, there is no crime, there is nothing improper about a mayor opining or entering into whether a development should go forward or not.”

And we wonder why people refer to our state as Corrupticut…

Lauretti’s Midnight Asphalt Adventure

Former CRRA Head Reveals More Graft

Day two of the trial according to the Valley Independent Sentinel:

When Mary Ellen Randi started working for James Botti in the spring of 2003, one of her first duties was to type up a back-dated invoice for work done at Mayor Mark A. Lauretti’s house.

That was part of the testimony offered Tuesday morning in New Haven, where Botti is on trial for allegedly bribing Lauretti. Today was day two of the trial.

Lauretti has not been charged with a crime and has repeatedly denied any of Botti’s accusations.

Randi testified that Botti told her not to mail invoices to Lauretti.

“I was told Mr. Lauretti charged things on Jim’s (Botti’s) account and they weren’t paid for yet,” Randi said.

Ah yes, 2002 about the time that CRRA was knee deep in scandal.