Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

(New Haven-WTNH, Apr. 25, 2006 Updated 5:06 PM) _ Former Gov. John Rowland's former top deputy and a major state contractor will spend the next two and a half years behind bars for their roles in the biggest corruption case in state history.

by Chief Political Correspondent Mark Davis

Along with their prison sentences to be served at a federal prison camp, Peter Ellef and William Tomasso were also sentenced to three years supervised release with 400 hours of community service.

It's the minimum sentence under federal guidelines with Judge Peter Dorsey cutting the two men some slack because they both have done many good deeds in their private lives, even though for a four year period they corrupted state government.

Ellef, who once held one of the most powerful un-elected positions in state government, declined to make any statement of apology or to even say he was sorry during his sentencing today. His two-and-a-half year sentence is for pleading guilty to directing a contract for the management of the construction of the now declared unusable Juvenile Training School in Middletown, a $57 million project.

Prosecutors say it is one of at least four state contracts that Ellef directed to his friend William Tomasso in exchange for thousand of dollars in bribes in the form of lavish meals, vacations, and cash to him and his son's business.

"He pleaded guilty. He thought that was enough," says Ellef's attorney Hugh Keefe.
"He doesn't need to apologize to the people?"
"How many times do I have to repeat this? He pleaded guilty. Isn't that enough?"

But his co-conspirator, William Tomasso, apparently didn't think so. In an almost tearful statement the son and grandson of a famous New Britain contracting family said he was very sorry, apologized, and said "I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for the damage I've caused."

In court the judge and prosecutors said today that they had to send a message to the public at large that corruption must not be tolerated.

"Instead of safeguarding this process; Mr. Tomasso and Mr. Ellef compromised it, squandering millions of dollars in taxpayer's money," Bill Reiner of the FBI said.

The Ellef and Tomasso sentences are more than double what John Rowland got. He returned earlier this year after serving a little more than 10 months at a federal prison camp in Western Pennsylvania. He remains on supervised home release in West Hartford.

"With respect to the Rowland matter; they're different cases. The facts were different, what we were able to prove. They were different matters."

Many people thought Rowland got off too easy. Judge Dorsey seemed to make reference to that today when said that most people have no concept of what it's like to serve a day, a month or a year in prison.

Both men are requesting to serve their time at prison camps here in the Northeast, but that is up to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to decide. They report to the feds by June 28th.