Judges Deny Ganim Law License

Joe Ganim
Joe Ganim

Former Mayor Joe Ganim carved out a strategic position that he did nothing wrong. As a result, he showed no remorse. It didn’t work in court, costing him years of extra prison time, and it hasn’t worked–so far–as it relates to regaining his law license. From Dan Tepfer, CT Post:

A three-judge panel Thursday soundly rejected former mayor Joseph Ganim’s request to get his law license back, ruling that Ganim, who served prison time on corruption charges had showed no remorse for his crimes.

“Allowing an applicant to be readmitted to the practice of law following a conviction on 16 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, extortion, mail fraud, bribery and filing false income tax returns without any apology, expression of remorse, or explanation, and with only a vague acceptance of an unspecified event, simply would set the bar for readmission too low in the state and we are unwilling to do that,” the panel of Superior Court judges, Julia DiCocco Dewey, Elliot Solomon and Barbara Bellis stated in a 36-page decision.

Ganim was unavailable for comment. His brother and lawyer, George Ganim Jr., said he had not yet seen the decision and could not comment on it.

The former mayor, at one time considered a contender for a Democratic gubernatorial nomination, was convicted March 19, 2003, on federal corruption and bribery charges and sentenced by federal Judge Janet Arterton to nine years in prison, a $150,000 fine and ordered to pay $148,617 in restitution. According to testimony at trial, he and his associates operated a “pay to play” operation in which local developers had to pay them bribes to get preferential deals with the city.

Following an early release from prison in 2010, he has worked as a legal assistant at his family’s law firm here and started a counseling firm for others headed to federal prison while on supervised release.

In July a state committee made up of local lawyers recommended that Ganim get his law license back ruling he had “met and exceeded” the requirements for admission. Earlier this month the three-judge panel held several days of hearings to make a final decision on the application.

In his decision, the panel found that the lawyers’ committee’s recommendation was rife with errors. Committee members did not return calls for comment.

“We conclude that the committee acted unreasonably and abuse of its discretion in finding that the applicant possessed the necessary traits of good moral character and fitness to practice law that the profession rightfully demands,” the judges wrote. “The egregious misconduct at issue was not an isolated error of judgment or a youthful indiscretion but a deliberate, repeated pattern of dishonesty and corruption.”

The judges said the committee of five local lawyers clearly erred in determining that Ganim took responsibility for his crimes after he testified before them:

“I had a fair trial, I had good lawyers, I had a fair judge and I live and stand by the result, I accept the verdict, I was found guilty,” he testified. “I accept that, I acknowledge that. I took an appeal, I lost.” The judges continued that the committee ignored the fact that a federal judge ruled Ganim had testified falsely during his trial and wrongly gave little weight to Ganim’s website statement: “Wrongly we became what is literally known as the target of a federal investigation,” when making its recommendation that he is fit to practice law again.

The decision read: “The egregious misconduct at issue was not an isolated error in judgment or a youthful indiscretion but a deliberate, repeated pattern of dishonesty and corruption,” the panel ruled. “The crimes Ganim was convicted of directly implicate the core components of honesty, trustworthiness and fair dealing which are fundamental to the legal profession. We recognize that Ganim must not only be judged for his misconduct, but he also must be judged for his good conduct, and the record does reflect his many good qualities. However, the underlying crimes spanning 1995-1999, the uncontroverted evidence that he intentionally gave false testimony, the clear evidence of record that he denied engaging in criminal conduct and has never expressed remorse despite many opportunities to do so, the fact that he remains under the supervision of federal authorities and while on federal supervised release, established the federal prison consulting website, that the committee specifically found did not point to present fitness, compels our conclusion that the record cannot substantiate a finding of good moral character and fitness to practice law.

Read more including court decision here.

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21 comments

  1. “The judges said the committee of five local lawyers clearly erred in determining that Ganim took responsibility for his crimes after he testified before them”

    Who were the five local lawyers???

    It is right and just!

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  2. Next time, Joe, pick good friends.

    To have a “best friend” is a wonderful thing to have in life. This friend will know everything about you and never use it against you. They will always want the best for you know matter what. They will try to talk you out of things or talk you into things but it will all be for your good. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, when you are around your best friend there will be an excitement inside of you and happiness. To find such a friend takes time. You have to filter through friends to find that person. If you are lucky now to have one let them know how much they mean to you.

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    1. Antitestoo,
      Well said about friends. I for one have filtered through a lot of people and have found a best friend. I am grateful for that friendship every day. I am pretty sure he knows how much I value the friendship, but if he doesn’t I am sure he will be reading this soon.
      Thank you for reminding us about what really matters in life. Slow down, and appreciate what really matters in life: family, friends and health!

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  3. Hey Mackey. I told you I think Ganim is a bum and he certainly deserved the decision he got today. You want me to go to an Armenian church to see what those people think of him?

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  4. yahooy, I like Joe Ganim, I have had my ups and downs with him and in my dealings with him I found him honest, now that has nothing to do with what happened to him or with other people, I’m just talking myself.

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  5. *** A good friend is indeed a rare blessing for as we live and learn in life, we find sometimes friends are like a dollar in your pocket, “here today and gone tomorrow!” Anyway is it an ethics violation thing with Ganim and the Bar Assoc. or what? The man should be able to pursue his old livelihood to take care of his family, no? He was not practicing law as mayor when he was taken into custody! *** Like Rubbing Salt In An Open Wound! ***

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    1. Mojo, The guy was convicted on 16 of 23 counts. Every appeal was denied. He was found guilty of raping and robbing the very city he was elected to protect and preserve. He has never directly admitted guilt and he has never said he is sorry. His actions cost Bridgeport every opportunity during one of the most significant economic bursts in the 20th century. I’m all for second chances and I hope Ganim will figure out a way to repair his marriage, be a good father, earn a living and do good for the community he cheated. Doesn’t mean he gets a second bite at practicing law. We throw lawyers out of practice for far less than what Ganim did. He can figure out how to take care of his family. What he was practicing when he was mayor was not the law. Only salt rubbed into wounds is ours. He created his.

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  6. I don’t know whether Joe should be allowed to practice. I do think he did further The Park City while in office. Would love to see a piece that weighs both the indiscretions AND accomplishments of JG.

    Everything written about him now amplifies the former.

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  7. Mackey found Ganim to be honest. Mojo feels because Ganim was not acting as a lawyer when he raped and pillaged the city the Bar Association should mind their own business.

    Now it is crystal clear why these two support Newton so adamantly.

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  8. Read the article in the Post or go to the 30-page decision from the judges. They are saying the public should be able to hold the practitioners of law to a high standard of behavior and truthfulness in the community. Right on!

    They went on to say the local five-member legal committee that recommended Ganim’s return to legal practice had erred because they confused Joe’s words about ‘being sorry’ and ‘court action for him to do the time,” and ‘he served the time’ did not add up to admission of responsibility. Difference between doing right or wrong, getting caught while claiming innocence and taking the punishment relative to knowing the difference and admitting that got it wrong on multiple counts over time. None of us are judges on this issue for the public, but apparently most people believed the three judges would rubber stamp an approval.

    Obviously some in power are looking closely at being found guilty, paying the penalty/doing the time in contrast to making a clean breast of behavior, admitting it, apologizing to the public for breaking that trust, and asking for opportunity to get on with life (which, if admitted back to legal practice, may include professional supervision, especially around fiscal matters).

    Of note is the comment lawyers from a different locality might be more appropriate in the future. They would have fewer (appearances of or actual) conflict of interest matters than this local committee where at least three of the five had matters with parties to this readmission.

    Tough matter to come to justice, fairness and where to go today. Differing opinions, obviously. What do we teach kids about decisions and choices? Good and poor choices? Consequences? Manning up? Trust in … Time will tell.

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  9. John Marshall Lee, I agree with you. I said earlier “pride” gets in the way and I think that is what happened here. A lot of voters in Bridgeport still like Joe Ganim and I mean a lot but he seems to think by saying he is sorry he will get hurt. How much more hurt can he get? Look at what he has done to himself, his family and the City of Bridgeport. Joe needs to be a man and step up and say he is “sorry” for his actions, saying he is sorry will make Joe stronger. I don’t know Joe Ganim’s religion or what church he attends but that is where he needs to start and that will help him to vet an understanding.

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  10. *** It’s amazing how certain OIB readers interpret some of the blogs and their meanings or message. Whether it’s Newton or Ganim, both are guilty of violating the public’s trust while being servants of the public for their own personal gains along with other federal crimes. They were tried and convicted in a court of law and sentenced. They served their jail time, paid their fines and are probably still on some type of probation. Since their release back into society they appear to be in the process of getting back to some type of a normal life with family, friends and attempts to find employment in areas they maybe familiar with. But for these two in the eyes of some of the non-sinners of our State, they have not given their pound of flesh as of yet! They have not shown any, or enough remorse for their past crimes by either saying I’m sorry or knowing their place now in society as ex-cons. Any regained rights or attempts to try to work at certain jobs that they may have experience in or a law degree for instance is taboo! As a State resident who may need an attorney and aware of Ganim’s criminal past, I would think it’s my decision whether I hire Ganim to represent me, no? Just like it’s my decision whether to vote for Newton or not if he were running for political office. Sometimes what we might expect from others is not the same as we would expect from ourselves. Maybe it would please some of our politically correct, model citizens in society to have those convicted of crimes tattooed with the words ex-con, work at a fast-food place for a couple of years, check with their P/Os once a month, complete 40 hours of community service, attend some type of classes once a week (example: AA, NA, anger management, etc.) and never have the right to vote again just for starters! Later depending on the crime, society can have them flogged in public or locked in a cage at a public center for a few hours a week to remind the public what life would be as an ex-con, period. Maybe America can take lessons from the Taliban on rights in general, no? *** SALE ON HALOS FOR THE HOLIDAYS ***

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    1. Recently, a pedophile was released from prison. He was convicted of molesting 6- and 7-year-old boys in a large daycare center where he was employed as a supervisor. This man served his full sentence and is not required to meet any probation rules. He has paid his entire debt to society and is free to integrate back into his community in any manner he desires. His only requirement is he registers as a sex offender. He has absolutely no restrictions on what he can do for a living because he, indeed, paid his debt to society. The slate is wiped clean. He has rights.

      Now the question, Mojo. Do you want this man working in a daycare facility where your grandchildren attend?

      I do not deny Newton or Ganim their respective right to pursue elected office. I am simply exercising my right to free speech when I condemn these bums for even thinking they are worthy of regaining the public trust they so arrogantly abused. I don’t think either of them (and a few others) deserve to be reelected. I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.

      Firstly, I think Newton is too stupid to accomplish the things that must be done in his district. The leadership in the State Senate has suggested a concurrence with my opinion. Secondly, I don’t think Ganim is a proper representative of this city. Things are happening in this town. As development progresses, it is not unlikely that the skyline of Bridgeport could emulate that of Stamford. But this will not be done with the likes of Ganim, Testa, Timpanelli and certainly not Finch. Can you imagine Ganim negotiating with big-money people? What would they talk about? How much he stole? How it was he managed to get his sentence cut for alleged drug rehabilitation? FD Rich made it perfectly clear when in 1960 he “informed” the local politicos they needed to disappear or development in that town would not occur. FD Rich made a better Mayor, in that regard, than the incumbent. If Bridgeport is to follow suit, the local sycophants also need to disappear and let the professionals make this happen.

      There is no place for the likes of Ganim and Newton. Ganim realizes this. As I said, Newton is just too stupid to realize the same.

      Perhaps we should have a sale on corks for the holidays. A lot of people have holes in their heads.

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      1. *** Sad part you forget to mention is pedophiles would get less time in prison than Ganim or Newton for their crimes. Also when registered as an SX/OF you’re not (depending on your terms of probation or parole) supposed to live near schools, playgrounds, etc. Breaking the public trust for taking political bribes, accepting gifts or misuse of campaign funds is far from going to jail for being a convicted pedophile. You’re comparing sour apples to rotten oranges! Should a doctor who goes to jail for not paying his taxes not be allowed to practice his trade again because he’s an ex-con? Should a newspaper writer not be allowed to write again because he went to jail for DWI? Nothing I believe in the judicial language concerning Ganim’s release stated he was not allowed to practice law again nor for Newton, run for a political office. They did their time, now it’s their right to try to seek employment, run for office or whatever they can legally do to get their lives back together again. And of course, it’s the public’s personal decision to either accept them or reject them for the mistakes they made and were convicted for in the past. It’s easy to pass judgement in a black and white world where there are no gray areas, no? ***

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        1. You really are dense. I clearly said I recognize both of their “rights” to seek public office. My point is neither deserves to be restored to the public trust. Your examples are not on point. A man who commits municipal fraud and corruption should not be returned to office, PERIOD.

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          1. *** Now you’re recognizing their rights? Who’s dense now and changing their tune from past blogs? Again, merely your opinion and as far as returning to the public’s trust that would be up to the voters or the next three-judge panel next time around. If it’s meant to be it will happen regardless of OIB opinions and as JML would say,”time will tell.” ***

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  11. The ramifications of this decision go further than just stopping Mr. Ganim from practicing law. I think it is clear he has also lost his ability to ever run for office again. That is probably just as horrific since Joe Ganim had great aspirations. I forgive Ganim and believe he served his time. I forgive Ganim from separating me from the City of Bridgeport because I served in the Moran administration. I believe the judge made the right decision. I believe Joe Ganim will find his place again. Politics and Law will not be one of them. I think Finch will be happy he will not get opposition from Ganim. I must admit Finch has been making things happen in this city and the good Ganim has done is but a memory. Some good and some bad. I wish him well.

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