The potential witness list for the federal corruption trial of developer James Botti reads like a who’s who of Shelton.
Jury selection for the trial started Wednesday morning in New Haven.
Part of the process includes prosecutors and Botti’s defense lawyer asking potential jurors if they know people who could be called as witnesses to testify at the trial.
Among the names mentioned by the prosecution:
- Mayor Mark Lauretti
- State Rep. Jason Perillo
- Rick Schultz, Shelton Planning and Zoning Administrator
- Chris Jones, 2009 Democratic mayoral candidate
- Dan Orazietti, former Planning and Zoning Commission member
- Robert Scinto, Shelton developer
- Ben Trabka, Shelton police detective
- Elliot Wilson, Shelton building official
Among the names mentioned by the defense:
- Monty Blakeman, Shelton developer
- Lauretti
- James Tortora, Shelton Fire Marshal
- Scinto
Botti is accused by the government of bribing an unnamed Shelton official with the hope of getting development projects approved. Various media outlets have named Lauretti as the public official in question.
As of 12:30 p.m., about 40 potential jurors had been dismissed. Jury selection resumed at 1:45 p.m.
