HARTFORD — Former Waterbury Mayor Philip Giordano is back before the U.S. Supreme Court in another appeal of his 37-year prison sentence for sexually abusing two young girls while in office.
Giordano is challenging a decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York in June to dismiss his request to set aside or correct his sentence. Giordano said that the prison sentence is unconstitutional and that his lawyer during his 2003 trial, Andrew Bowman, made mistakes, including not informing him of plea bargains offered by prosecutors.
Bowman denies he provided ineffective counsel, and lower courts agreed with him.
The Supreme Court is set to discuss the case Friday to determine whether it will hear the appeal. The high court has refused to hear two previous appeals by Giordano.
