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Connecticut's top prosecutor to retire after questions raised about hiring practice

This announcement comes amid heightened controversy within the state government.

ROCKY HILL, Conn. — Connecticut's top prosecutor announced his retirement from state service Wednesday in a letter to the Criminal Justice Commission.

This announcement comes amid a political scandal after questions were raised about his hiring of a budget official's daughter while pressing the official for pay raises.

The commission took an executive session for over an hour to meet about this. Once the doors opened back up, Justice Andrew McDonald immediately announced Richard Colangelo Jr.'s retirement.

"He will be retiring from state service after 29 years as a prosecutor. His retirement date will be March 31, 2022," said Justice McDonald.

"I will recuse myself from prosecuting any criminal matters on behalf of the state," Colangelo said in his letter to the Criminal Justice Commission on Wednesday. "The cases I have been personally investigating or prosecuting will be transferred to others and my sole remaining participation in them will be to share with the individuals to whom they are transferred their status and history, together with my legal theories and strategies for those matters."

In a separate, more detailed letter, Colangelo stated he disagreed with Attorney Twardy's report, denying any wrongdoing.

The report was a lengthy 40-page investigation that showed proof Colangelo hired the daughter of a former deputy secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. This raised suspicions because it came at the same time Colangelo was seeking pay raises for prosecutors from the budget office.

Attorney Scott Murphy, also a member of the commission, said he felt let down by Colangelo's actions laid out in the report. 

"We found the conduct of the chief state's attorney to be both extremely disappointing and disturbing," said Murphy. 

Murphy said if Colangelo had not chosen to retire, the commission would have terminated him, leading to a much more complicated process.

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The news garnered reactions from the Connecticut ACLU, who released a statement, saying:

 “Whenever a powerful government official misbehaves, it is imperative for lawmakers to look at the systems that allowed that behavior to happen, and to take steps to prevent future harm. As the legislature heads into a new session, elected officials must create real ethics and accountability mechanisms for State’s Attorneys, to prevent similar and worse misconduct from the most powerful prosecutors in the state. The fact that even the most powerful prosecutor in the state could see his reappointment as dependent on a popularity contest amongst other prosecutors, and the means to reappointment being greasing their palms, shows how much Connecticut’s top prosecutors are left to their own devices. Colangelo’s resignation will prevent him from continuing his individual poor behavior, but preventing future misconduct by State’s Attorneys requires larger systemic action from the legislature."

RELATED: Hiring scandal surrounding Connecticut's top prosecutor prompts investigation

In his State of the State address midday Wednesday, Gov. Ned Lamont talked about the topic of trust in the state saying he will not tolerate those who abuse that power, especially at the government level. 

“At the end of the day, what matters most in all of this is trust – trust in your law enforcement, trust in the courts and trust in your government," said Lamont. "I will hold anyone accountable who breaches that trust, starting in my administration. I have zero tolerance for any ethical malfeasance. We hold ourselves to the highest standards. If you see something, say something, and if you don’t get the response you deserve, give me a call."

Officials said John Russotto, the current deputy chief state's attorney, will fill the role in the interim. 

Russotto will be taking over effective April 1, 2022, until a permanent chief state's attorney is named.

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Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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