Third Degree Assault Ct - A prominent restaurant owner at the center of allegations that former police chief Armando Perez tried to intervene in an investigation into the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl has been charged with bribery and obstruction of justice.
John Vazzano, former Barnum Festival manager and owner of Vazzy's restaurants in Bridgeport, Fairfield and Monroe, turned himself in to state police Wednesday morning at the Rocky Hill Police Department after being told a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
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John Vazzano was charged Wednesday with one count each of bribery of a witness, third-degree obstruction of law enforcement and interfering with a law enforcement officer. Photo contributed
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He was charged with one count each of bribing a witness, third-degree obstruction of justice and interfering with an officer.
Vazzano, who is a member of the Trumbull Police Commission and also operates a restaurant at the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield, which Bridgeport operates, was released Feb. 25 after posting $50,000 bail pending a Superior Court arraignment.
Vazzano's arrest comes after a 9-month investigation, initially launched by the Bridgeport Police Detective Bureau, into allegations that a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a longtime dishwasher and another kitchen employee at Vazzy's in Bridgeport in November and December 2019. in a restaurant. The investigation was later taken over by the State Prosecutor's Office.
"John Vazzano is presumed innocent and we vehemently deny that John Vazzano committed any crime," said Edward Gavin, Vazzano's attorney. "John Vazzano never tried to influence this young lady's decision to press charges against her alleged attackers. This is not bribery."
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In February 2020, dishwasher Jaime Sena (56) was charged with third-degree sexual assault and second-degree unlawful restraint. His case is pending in the High Court. An arrest warrant has been issued for the second suspect, but he has not yet been located or arrested.
But according to a 25-page state police arrest warrant issued Wednesday afternoon, the sexual assault investigation was hampered by the alleged efforts of Perez and then Vazzano himself, who is accused of offering bribes to the girl's family.
Perez, who was arrested last year for defrauding and then lying to the FBI to get a director's job, could not be reached for comment on the warrant's allegations. He pleaded guilty to charges in the case and awaits sentencing in April. He has not been charged in connection with the Vazzy incident.
According to the arrest warrant, on January 11, 2020, the girl's father filed a report with the police station about the alleged assault. The written statement states that Vazzano told the investigating detective that he would provide the names of the suspects in the attack, but did not. The manager of the restaurant told the detective that he did not know the last names of the suspects.
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The affidavit states that in February 2020, during the funeral of an unrelated individual, Vazzano approached the girl's father and told him that arresting the sexual assault suspect "wasn't a good idea." He then offered the victim a job at another of his companies and a $1,000 gift card to Macy's, according to the written statement.
The conversation between the father and Vazzano was overheard by an off-duty police officer, according to the written statement. The father informed Capt. Brian Fitzgerald, who was the detective bureau's chief at the time, of Vazzano's offer, the written statement said.
The affidavit includes comments from several witnesses recounting instances in which Perez made comments that Fitzgerald interpreted as threats to remove Fitzgerald from driving.
At a later meeting, the written statement said, Perez met with Fitzgerald and asked him about the case.
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"Captain Fitzgerald said he told Commander Perez that he did not know if an arrest would be made and that he did not know the status of the investigation. Captain Fitzgerald stated that Chief Perez referred to John Vazzano as a good man who had done a lot for the Bridgeport Police Department," states the written statement.
After Fitzgerald assigned another detective who specializes in sexual assault investigations, Walbert Cotto, to the case, the affidavit states, Fitzgerald confronted Perez, who "started yelling that he (Perez) was not (the devil) about the treatment of (the victims). It said Perez again threatened to "make changes," though he did not specify what changes.
"Chief Perez also reiterated that John Vazzano is a good man and that he (Perez) does not want Vazzano to get hurt," the written statement said.
The affidavit says state police also obtained phone calls showing numerous calls between Perez and Vazzano during that period.
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During the meeting on February 20, 2020, Perez told Fitzgerald and Lt. Chris LaMaine that he did not want the newspaper to know about the arrests of the two sexual assault suspects and that he planned to contact the state court, the affidavit states. ensure that information about arrests is not disclosed. A week earlier, Perez allegedly told LaMaine that he did not want to see anything in the Connecticut Post about the victim's complaint.
On another occasion, Perez told LaMain he was "losing sleep over the Vazzys case," the affidavit said.
The affidavit says Vazzano later lied to members of the U.S. Marshals Violent Crimes Task Force about the location of the two sexual assault suspects and that Vazzano's cell phone call logs showed he frequently texted the two men.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that John Vazzano owned Vazzy's locations in several cities, including Stratford. While Vazzano owns several Vazzy establishments, Vazzy's of Stratford is not one of them.
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