Investigation of DeLuca Begins

The Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) had called for the formation of a bipartisan committee to review Mr. DeLuca's actions and praised the Senate for doing so.
August 30, 2007 - Litchfield County Times

By: Julia E.M. Halewicz

HARTFORD-A somber tone filled the halls of the State Capitol building Tuesday morning as a bipartisan committee of six state senators gathered to begin reviewing the events leading to the guilty plea in early June by State Sen. Louis DeLuca (R-Woodbury) to a misdemeanor charge of conspiring to commit threatening in the second degree with James Galante, a Danbury businessman who owns trash-hauling companies and has been the target of a wide-ranging federal investigation into organized crime.

With Mr. DeLuca standing firm in his refusal to resign from the Senate, the committee is charged with recommending if he should be expelled, censured, reprimanded or face no action.

State Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen) co-chairs the committee with State Sen. Martin Looney (D-New Haven), and hours before convening the first meeting he noted the importance of not only deciding the fate of Mr. DeLuca, but also in setting a precedent for reviewing the conduct of colleagues-something Mr. Roraback said has not occurred in the Senate in what he called the modern era.

"We are sailing in uncharted waters," said Mr. Roraback of himself and fellow Sens. Donald DeFronzo (D-New Britain), Anthony Guglielmo (R-Stafford Springs), William Nickerson (R-Greenwich) and Andrea Stillman (D-Waterford). "We recognize that it is Senator DeLuca that brings us together, but we also recognize that we are going to be setting a precedent for all time. ... None of my colleagues campaigned for this responsibility and I think each of us kind of accepted out of respect for the institution."

In the past 30 to 40 years there have been two impeachment inquiries and two censure processes in the House of Representatives, Mr. Roraback noted. In 2005, the state legislature formed a Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board in response to the scandal that led to the resignation of former Gov. John Rowland. At the time, Mr. DeLuca acknowledged the public's urging of the General Assembly to "entrust our new ethics commission in the hands of those who are above the fray of politics."

"I think that voters happily are increasingly attentive to the propriety of the conduct of their elected officials," said Mr. Roraback of the public's demand for accountability in its elected officials. Mr. DeLuca is not alone in facing an ethics scandal. Nationally, senators are calling for Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig's resignation following his guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a recent incident in an airport bathroom with an undercover law enforcement agent.

After convening for approximately 90 minutes, Mr. Roraback and his fellow committee members requested either the FBI audiotape or a transcript of Mr. DeLuca's conversation with an undercover FBI agent who offered the senator a $5,000 bribe, which Mr. DeLuca refused but did not report. According to the affidavit of arrest for Mr. DeLuca, he also allegedly offered to do what he could to help Mr. Galante, who now faces 93 criminal counts in a racketeering indictment. Information requests were also made of the U.S. attorney, the state and Waterbury police and the chief state's attorney.

Mr. Roraback characterized the committee as "steeling itself" for the "unenjoyable" process. "Obviously the conduct in question has been admitted to as being criminal in nature and is deeply disappointing."

Mr. DeLuca originally came under fire for accepting Mr. Galante's offer to have someone threaten his granddaughter's husband, Mark Colella, whom, Mr. DeLuca alleged, had physically abused the younger woman. Mr. DeLuca also claimed Waterbury police did not act on his complaints about Mr. Colella and he thus decided to handle matters on his own, but police have since called Mr. DeLuca's account unfair and inaccurate.

As the action was never carried out, Mr. DeLuca pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and agreed to a six-month suspended sentence, a $2,000 fine and the requirement to make a charitable contribution to the University of Connecticut.

Throughout the case and after, Mr. DeLuca framed the events as personal in nature and press attention focused on the drama of his alleged mob ties and pursuit of justice outside of the constraints of the law. He subsequently stepped down from his position as Senate Republican Leader, but held his seat representing the towns of Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Roxbury, Seymour, Southbury, Thomaston, Watertown and Woodbury. If the committee recommends expulsion, Mr. DeLuca may request a Senate hearing prior to the Senate's approval or rejection of the recommendation.

Since the allegations first arose against Mr. DeLuca, the 17-year Senate veteran at times appeared tearful, and at other times defiant. In a statement released in response to the Senate resolution forming the committee, Mr. DeLuca said, "There continue to be calls for my resignation. Allow me to say once again that I am not resigning. The Senate has established a process for addressing my actions with respect to a personal family matter. And, as the precedent established today is important not only to me but also to the future of the State Senate with respect to how it addresses ethics inquiries regarding its members, I will see this process to its conclusion."

Among those who called for Mr. DeLuca's resolution were State Sen. David Cappiello (R-Danbury), a longtime friend of Mr. DeLuca's, and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz. Gov. M. Jodi Rell did not comment on the case. The Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) had called for the formation of a bipartisan committee to review Mr. DeLuca's actions and praised the Senate for doing so.

"We are confident that this committee will professionally get to the bottom of the events involving Senator DeLuca and a reputed mobster and his offering to use his elected position to further this individual's agenda," said Phil Sherwood, legislative director of the CCAG, in a statement. "While it would be inappropriate for us or anyone else to prejudge Senator DeLuca, the disclosures of events surrounding Senator DeLuca are quite unsettling and we are optimistic that the bipartisan committee will make appropriate recommendations and that the Senate will act on them."

On Aug. 22, the State Senate unanimously voted to form the committee and gave Mr. Roraback and his colleagues 45 days to complete its work, with the possibility of two 15-day extensions.

©Litchfield County Times 2007