Former Connecticut State Senator Dennis Bradley was arrested Tuesday on state charges accusing him of unsealing a Bridgeport voter's completed absentee ballot and pressuring her to switch her vote in this summer's Democratic primary for judge of probate. The 42-year-old, who was convicted of federal wire fraud just months earlier, now faces two counts of illegal possession of absentee ballots and envelopes, along with charges of being present when an absentee ballot applicant executes her ballot and absentee ballot misuse.
According to CT News Junkie, inspectors from the Office of the Chief State's Attorney and the Statewide Prosecution Bureau arrested Bradley on Monday. He was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court, Geographical Area No. 2, on October 21. The complaint originated with a Bridgeport resident identified in reporting as Alesia Dennis, a 63-year resident of the city, who told authorities that on July 30 Bradley and an unidentified companion entered her apartment, unsealed her completed absentee ballot, and instructed her to change her vote from incumbent Paul Ganim to his brother, Mark Bradley, according to Daily Voice.
The interaction was reportedly captured on home surveillance footage, and Dennis went on to vote early in person rather than submit the altered ballot. The complainant contacted Bridgeport police on August 5 and filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission the following day, which then referred the matter to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney for further investigation, per CT News Junkie's reporting on the state's account.
A Primary Pitting Two Bridgeport Political Families
The alleged tampering centered on the August 11 Democratic primary for Bridgeport judge of probate, a race that incumbent Paul Ganim ultimately won over challenger Mark Bradley. As Only In Bridgeport reported, Paul Ganim is the brother of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, making the contest a clash between two of the city's most prominent political families. Mark Bradley briefly registered as a third-party candidate after his primary loss but officially withdrew his general election candidacy in late August, ahead of the state's September 18 deadline, leaving Paul Ganim running unopposed in the fall.
Dennis Bradley's defense attorney, Darnell Crosland, has pushed back on the state's characterization of the incident. Crosland stated that voters hold a legal right to modify their candidate choices and argued that complete, unedited surveillance footage obtained during discovery would show Bradley acted legally, per reporting from News 12 Connecticut. Bradley voluntarily surrendered to state police at the Troop G barracks downtown, according to the Quinnipiac Post. Prosecutors and the video surveillance evidence, however, indicate Bradley personally unsealed and altered a completed ballot inside the voter's home.
A Fraud Conviction Still Awaiting Sentencing
The new state charges land while Bradley is already facing federal sentencing in a separate case. A federal jury in New Haven convicted him in March on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud, finding that he concealed more than $7,000 in personal expenses tied to a March 2018 campaign launch at Dolphin's Cove restaurant in order to illegally claim $84,000 in public campaign grants issued under Connecticut's Citizens' Election Program. He is scheduled to be sentenced on those federal convictions on December 3.
Just weeks before his state arrest, U.S. District Judge Victor Bolden had granted Bradley permission to travel abroad to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from October 10 to October 17 to attend his brother Mark's wedding, while he remained free on a $300,000 bond pending sentencing, according to the CT Examiner. The new charges potentially complicate those travel plans and raise questions about whether the arrest violates the conditions of his federal release.
Bradley represented Connecticut's 23rd State Senate District, covering portions of Bridgeport and Stratford, from 2019 through January 2023, and previously served on the Bridgeport Board of Education. Under Connecticut General Statutes § 9-140b and § 9-359, illegal possession of absentee ballots and envelopes and misuse of absentee ballots are each classified as Class D felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to $5,000. State law strictly limits who may handle a completed ballot to the voter, immediate family members, or official designees.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Bridgeport Elections
Bradley's arrest adds to a lengthening list of Bridgeport political figures facing election-related prosecution. Hoodline has previously reported on Maria Pereira's recent arrest, which came as the councilwoman separately faces 20 counts of misrepresenting eligibility requirements, along with separate counts for other ballot-related offenses and forgery. Democratic Town Committee vice chair Wanda Geter-Pataky and City Councilman Alfredo Castillo rejected state plea bargains offering multi-year prison terms in August, opting instead for jury trials on dozens of felony election fraud charges stemming from Bridgeport's 2019 and 2023 Democratic mayoral primaries, with Geter-Pataky alone facing 96 counts.
That scrutiny traces back to a Connecticut Superior Court judge's November 2023 decision invalidating the results of Bridgeport's September 2023 Democratic mayoral primary, after municipal surveillance footage revealed campaign operatives stuffing stacks of absentee ballots into city drop boxes. The ruling forced a court-ordered primary rerun in early 2024 and set the stage for the wave of felony prosecutions now working through Connecticut courts. As with the charges against Bradley, each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
