James Botti, a Shelton developer serving time in federal prison for mail fraud, filed documents Aug. 31 appealing his conviction.
Botti had first indicated his intent to appeal in September 2010.
Botti had been indicted in connection to a federal corruption probe involving developers and city officials in Shelton. He is serving a six-year sentence at a minimum-security prison in Morgantown, West Va. He projected release date is Feb. 19, 2016.
In court documents, Botti’s attorney, George W. Gamin, Jr. of Bridgeport argues that a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down after Botti’s conviction but before his sentencing is enough to call for a new trial.
The standard of law under which Botti was convicted is no longer the law of the land, so Botti should get a new trial, Ganim argues.
Ganim’s legal brief, filed on Botti’s behalf, is posted below.
The FBI has been probing corruption allegations for years.
Click here to read stories about the Botti cases.
Click here to read more about corruption in Shelton.
It has resulted in the conviction of Botti, his father, Peter Botti, noted Shelton developer Robert Scinto and former Shelton building inspector Elliot Wilson.
Wilson was scheduled to be released from a federal detention center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Friday (Sept. 2).
As of Saturday (Sept. 3), the Federal Bureau of Prisons listed Wilson as released on its website.
Federal prosecutors have accused Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti of unethical practices, but the mayor has denied the accusations. He has never been charged with a crime.
The appeal brief:
