By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
New Haven Register
SHELTON, Conn. — Former city Building Official Elliot Wilson, who recently began serving a prison sentence in New York, has formally resigned from his position.
In a brief letter addressed to Mayor Mark Lauretti and dated April 10, Wilson indicates he is resigning his position effective immediately.
Wilson pleaded guilty in January 2010 to making false statements to a federal grand jury. After the plea, Lauretti suspended Wilson without pay, which had been Wilson’s status for months until his resignation this week.
Wilson, 67, of Shelton, admitted to lying about receiving valuables from developers who sought to influence him in connection with his official duties in the past decade, court documents show. The items included cash payments, building supplies, gift certificates and the opportunity to purchase a vehicle through a dealership at a price below market value.
On April 6, Wilson surrendered to federal custody to begin serving his sentence, which includes five months of imprisonment and five months of home detention. Wilson is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“It is something that everyone has been expecting him to do,” said Alderman Jack Finn. “I’m glad he took the lead in stepping down.”
According to Finn, Wilson is eligible to receive his pension, which is a fund which Wilson has been contributing to during his years with the city.
“It is similar to a 401(k) and he earned it,” Finn said.
Attorney Michael Hillis of New Haven, who represents Wilson, said he had been having discussions with the mayor’s office and City Attorney Ramon Sous to come to a resolution.
"[Wilson’s] only crime was lying to a grand jury,” Hillis said. “He was not charged with municipal corruption, and there was no municipal corruption with regard to Mr. Wilson. If there was, he would have been charged with it by the federal prosecutors. No one paid to get anything out of him for building inspecting.”
According to Hillis, Wilson “loves” being a building official and would have loved to come back, but realized that likely wasn’t possible.
Hillis has said in court, “There was never anything for sale with regard to building inspections in the city of Shelton.”
The building official’s job includes inspection of development projects and issuing certificates of occupancy. The city now has an acting building official, Joseph Ballaro.
Wilson received the valuables in question from 1999 through 2009, court documents show.
According to the government, Wilson obtained a truck at below- market value with the assistance of Shelton developer James Botti. Botti is serving a six-year prison sentence for honest services mail fraud, structuring bank deposits and conspiracy to structure.
Court documents say developer Robert Scinto provided Wilson with cash when Wilson was issuing certificates of occupancy relating to Scinto’s development projects. Scinto gave $2,500 in cash to Wilson in May 2008 when Wilson requested a loan, documents and statements in court show. The government claims Wilson told the federal grand jury he repaid $1,000, but he actually hadn’t, court documents show.
Scinto, 64, was sentenced this month to six months in prison, followed by six months of home confinement, for lying to investigators about gifts he had given to Shelton officials.
Copyright 2011 Journal Register Co.