A federal judge has agreed to dismiss remaining unresolved charges against Shelton developer James Botti.
Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Haight Wednesday granted a motion from government attorneys asking to dismiss the bribery and corruption charges against Botti that a jury deadlocked on during his trial this past spring.
In their motion filed last week, U.S. prosecutors Richard Schechter and Rahul Kale said that in light of Botti’s six-year jail sentence, “the Government does not believe that a retrial … is in the best interest of justice.”
Botti was sentenced to serve six years in federal prison for his conviction on honest services mail fraud, conspiracy to structure cash deposits, and structuring. He was accused of plying local public officials with cash, gifts and favors in exchange for approvals on his development proposals.
A jury deadlocked on bribery and corruption charges, and Judge Haight ordered a mistrial for those counts.
The U.S. prosecutors said that as long as Botti’s conviction and six-year sentence stand, they want to dismiss the mistrial charges.
Haight, in granting the motion, agreed to do so “without prejudice,” which means the case can be reopened if Botti’s six year sentence is altered as a result of his appeal.
