FARDY DRUG CASE MOVED TO NEW HAVEN

BRIDGEPORT -- Widespread knowledge of Mayor John M. Fabrizi's drug
use and allegations that former Democratic Town Committee member
Shawn Fardy provided him with cocaine led a federal judge on Monday
to transfer Fardy's drug-trafficking trial to New Haven.

U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall's decision came after she halted
jury selection for Fardy's trial, as up to 90 percent of the 101
prospective jurors said they knew something about the case.

"I had no idea how widely known this was," Hall said during a hearing
Monday with Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Hernandez, who
is prosecuting the case, and Francis O'Reilly, Fardy's lawyer. She
said "Ninety percent of the people were pretty familiar with articles
about the mayor."

The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz in New Haven.

But that was only one problem related to the case.

O'Reilly told Hall on Friday that he has not received copies of FBI
reports of their interviews with Fabrizi conducted in 2005. He asked
that he be given these before the start of the trial.

That would give him time to investigate Fabrizi's claims and prepare
questions for the mayor's testimony.

But like the trial, this disclosure issue now rests with Kravitz.

The FBI reports on their interviews with suspects, informants and
cooperating witnesses rarely become public and only then, when
introduced as evidence in a trial.

But in this case, City Councilman Robert Walsh, a frequent critic of
the mayor, believes the public has a right to know what their mayor
talked to the FBI about.

"I can only wonder what the mayor said," Walsh said Monday. "Did it
have anything to do with criminal activity? Is there anything in
there about any employee that still works for the city? I'd like to
hear the truth about his level of drug use when it started and stopped."

Walsh said all this is necessary because "at some point the public
has to be able to decide if this man can continue to serve them."

Fabrizi is believed to have sat down with the FBI after rumors of his
now admitted drug use began circulating in April 2005, after the
arrests of Juan and Victor Marrero, two local businessmen.

J. Robert Gulash, Fabrizi's lawyer, declined to comment Monday.

Juan Marrero, who has since pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking,
told the FBI that although he never sold cocaine to Fabrizi, he did
sell it to Fardy. During one such sale, Marrero told the FBI, Fardy
said he needed to buy cocaine because "Fabrizi was coming over" and
"needed a hit."

It was that disclosure last summer that led Fabrizi to admit publicly
he abused cocaine and alcohol and was obtaining treatment. Federal
authorities never charged Fabrizi with cocaine possession.

But they did indict Fardy -- twice. Fardy faces charges of
participating in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy with Marrero, as
well as five counts of using a telephone to facilitate cocaine deals.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum 20- year sentence and the
telephone counts each carry a maximum four-year prison term.

Fardy has maintained his innocence. Hall called in 101 Fairfield
County residents as potential jurors for Fardy's trial that was
scheduled to start next Tuesday. At one point, the judge had 32
jurors in the box and all but three told her they were aware of the
case or Fabrizi's admitted drug abuse. Then, Hall called each
prospective juror up to the bench individually to ask them about
their knowledge of the case. She later called off the selection
process and dismissed the entire panel.

Both of Fardy's parents were present during the jury selection.

"I'd like to thank Judge Hall," said Andrew Fardy, a retired arson
investigator who, like his wife, Patricia, has served on several
Bridgeport commissions. "She did a great job in ensuring my son's
rights were protected."

"Mr. Fardy wants his trial sooner rather than later," O'Reilly said.
Fardy has been in jail since August when his bond was revoked
following an unrelated arrest on state charges involving an alleged
street fight and car theft.

Hall said on Monday that it would be "an enormous effort" to get a
Fairfield County jury for Fardy's trial, while one from New Haven or
Hartford could be picked in "three or four hours."