Updated: DeLuca Affidavit Reveals Close Ties With Galante
by Christine Stuart | June 1, 2007 6:06 PM
Posted to Legal
The arrest warrant affidavit that lead to Senator Louis DeLuca’s arrest Friday claims DeLuca had a “close and confidential relationship with” Danbury trash hauler James Galante, who has ties to a Genovese crime family member.
The relationship “would explain why DeLuca would seek out Businessman A’s assistance and why Businessman A would be willing to help DeLuca,” the affidavit states. Galante is referred to as Businessman A in the affidavit.
In Sept. 2006 an undercover federal agent, posing as a business associate of Galante, met with DeLuca. At that meeting DeLuca told the agent, “anytime [Businessman A] needs anything, anything, within my power, that I can do, I will do.” DeLuca then told the agent he was shocked when Galante was indicted because he “is not a careless guy.” Then DeLuca advised the agent that if they needed his assistance the best way to contact him is through a specific individual because “nobody knows [about] that relationship.”
Two days later DeLuca met with the undercover agent again. The agent asked DeLuca to influence legislation to help Galante. DeLuca said, “I can’t influence it at this point because it’s out of my hands, but if it gets to the point where I have appointments, I can influence it that way. You know, if somebody, if it’s a commission that needs to be in that, that, is gonna be a watchdog on CRRA and make recommendations then I’ll make an appoint…generally I get an appointment.”
During this conversation the affidavit says DeLuca refused $5,000 in cash from the agent, saying he was “afraid them guys…tracing things and shit like that.” He later told the agent to tell Galante to “hang in there and I’ll keep my eyes and ears open.”
On Sept. 21, 2006 DeLuca had a meeting with FBI agents and “admitted that his true purpose of his meeting with Businessman A had nothing to do with securing employment for the target, but rather was to see if Businessman A could pay a visit to the target identified by DeLuca in order to scare him,” the affidavit states.
It was also learned during the course of the investigation that Galante made a large donation in 2001 to a charitable cause sponsored by DeLuca. “Thereafter, DeLuca used his influence to cause Businessman A to be named ‘Italian-American Man of the Year’ by the Connecticut Italian-American legislative caucus. These facts were later confirmed by DeLuca,” according to the affidavit.
Editor’s note: The entire affidavit will be uploaded later on once get home to our scanner.
Comments (4)
Posted by: info | June 2, 2007 10:22 AM
Sidenote to this on domestic violence arrests:
Here is a quote from the Hartford Courant story on DeLuca "Sources close to DeLuca say that the despairing senator had brought photos of his bruised and battered granddaughter to the police, but they wouldn't do anything because the granddaughter refused to file a complaint against her boyfriend."
He brought photos of bruises to police?
Here are three lines from a report called "Police Response to Crimes of Family Violence: Model Policies, Procedures and Guidelines" Revised through June 2006, contributing agencies: Office of the Chief State's Attorney, Police Officer Standards and Training Council, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Page 11: "Arrest Guidelines," Subhead: "Prohibited considerations"
"The decision to arrest should not be influenced by the following: 1. the specific consent or request of the victim (conn generals statutes 46b-38b(a))
Being spurned by police three times and being a member of the legislature, isn't DeLuca familiar at least in passing with family violence laws and guidelines? Couldn't he visit state's attorney's office to complain or get another opinion if charges could be brought? Could he not consult a lawyer about the possibility of getting police to press charges instead of going to some shady character? Why should we have any faith in a system when the general assembly's ranking Republican, who appoints to the committees that chooses judges and prosecutors, seemingly has none? Should we believe DeLuca? Watberury Police? Who?
Posted by: Dave Moore | June 2, 2007 8:12 PM
State Senator Bill Finch who is running for Mayor of Bridgeport was making statements about how he understood how DeLuca felt and felt sympathy for him. Sympathy for someone who is trying to get help fromt the mob to assault someone? It is time people like DeLuca and Finch were driven out of state politics. We deserve better!
Posted by: info | June 3, 2007 4:59 PM
Re sympathy -- Pity would be more appropriate, but I've always thought pity was disrespectful so I wince when I feel it.
Check out Deluca's appointments and tell me if you feel confident of the people he thinks should be choosing our judges, prosecutors and so on, and tell me if you think these commissions keep the rankest kind of politics out of the process.
Posted by: John Bolton | June 5, 2007 9:41 AM
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- A state senator faces six months of probation after a December scuffle at a bar.
Sen. Bill Finch of Bridgeport and his son were arrested after allegedly forcing their way into Huskies Restaurant and Bar in Mansfield. Police said they did not leave when asked to do so.
They were charged with breach of peace.
Finch and his son will have the charges dropped if they abide by conditions of their probation