By Associated Press - Thursday, January 26, 2017

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A state judge has rejected a request by former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez to dismiss the corruption charges against him.

The decision Thursday cleared the way for two new trials on charges Perez took a bribe from a contractor in the form of home renovations and tried to extort $100,000 from a developer.

Perez was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to three years in prison, but has remained free pending appeal. The state Supreme Court overturned his convictions last year, saying two cases were improperly combined into one trial.

Lawyers for the Democratic former mayor argued the case should be dismissed because retrials would violate the Fifth Amendment clause against being prosecuted for the same crimes twice.

Perez was Hartford’s first Hispanic mayor and served from 2001 to 2010.

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