Chris Mattei
Christopher “Chris” Michael Mattei (born May 25, 1978) is an American lawyer. He previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption unit for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Mattei also served as Director of the Connecticut Public Corruption Task Force. Mattei prosecuted former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland, and U.S. Congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley for violations of federal campaign finance laws. Mattei also led the prosecution of George Gallo, former Chief of Staff to the Minority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives , for defrauding Connecticut's campaign finance system. In 2012, Mattei prosecuted a bribery ring of eight individuals who were seeking favorable business tax status in exchange for unlawful campaign contributions. In 2015, Mattei left the U.S. Department of Justice and entered private practice with the Bridgeport, Connecticut based law firm of Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder where his practice focuses on civil rights, institutional abuse, elections and consumer protection. On April 19, 2017, Mattei announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for statewide office. On December 4, 2017, Mattei announced his candidacy for Attorney General. Early  life and career. Mattei is from Windsor, Connecticut. He earned his B.A. "magna cum laude" in American Studies from Georgetown University in 2000, and earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2005, where he served as President of the Student Bar Association and was on the "Connecticut Law Review". Prior to law school, Mattei worked as a high school teacher at the Rough Rock Community School on the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona. During this time, he also worked as an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. Assistant United States Attorney for  the District of Connecticut. After passing the bar in 2005, Mattei served as a clerk for United States District Judge Alvin W. Thompson. Mattei was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the State of Connecticut in 2007, where he supervised the effort to prosecute broker-dealers who committed fraudulent trading in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. The Trial of Governor John G. Rowland. In April 2015, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut indicted former three-term governor, John G. Rowland, on conspiracy and other charges associated with two federal election campaigns. Arguing on behalf of  the government, Mattei demonstrated that Rowland and fellow conspirator, U.S. Congressional Republican candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley, attempted to conceal campaign funds and compromise electoral transparency. Arguing the government's summation, Mattei stated, "This is a case that goes to the very heart of the most basic right we have in America. The right to vote, the right to make informed decisions about who is going to represent us. Every American is entitled to certain information. Who's paying a candidate, who is the candidate beholden to? And in back-to-back election cycles in 2010 and 2012, Mr. Rowland sought  to deprive voters of that information. He was going to be paid to steer that candidate right into the United States government and he didn't want anyone to know it." On March 18, 2015 Rowland was found guilty on seven counts that included obstructing justice, conspiracy, falsifying documents relied on by federal regulators and other violations of campaign finance laws and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The Trial of Robert Braddock Jr.. In May 2013, Mattei led the conviction of Robert Braddock Jr., the former campaign finance director for Christopher G. Donovan's 2012 failed Congressional bid . Braddock, along with seven political operatives and tobacco retailers, were accused of conspiring to violate campaign finance laws by disguising the source of $30,000 in contributions made to the Donovan campaign. During sentencing, Mattei stated, "The Government submits that there is an urgent need for the Court's sentence to announce clearly to those in positions of trust within campaigns and government that this type of behavior is not only illegal, but intolerable. It appears that some individuals in this state continue to believe that the political or material benefits of corruption outweigh the risks of detection and incarceration . For those individuals, notions of personal integrity and responsible citizenship may not be sufficiently compelling to dissuade them from acting corruptly. The Government respectfully submits that the Court's sentence should aim to do so." On May 21, 2013, a federal jury convicted Braddock with conspiring to hide the true source of the tobacco donations, aiding and abetting in making the straw donations and causing a false statement to be made to the Federal Election Commission. Braddock was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison for his role in the Donovan campaign scheme. The Prosecution of George Gallo. In April  2015, Mattei led the prosecution against former Connecticut Republican State Party Chairman and Chief of Staff for the Connecticut House of Representatives, George Gallo. Gallo pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud and admitted that he steered the business of Republican legislative candidates to a Florida direct mail and printing company and received about $117,000 in kickbacks from the company. In a legal filing, Mattei wrote, "While some saw the CEP (Citizens' Election Program) as a way to clean up elections, Mr. Gallo saw the CEP as a personal money maker. Mr. Gallo lied to candidates and others about his  financial arrangement, and, as a result, publicly funded candidates paid 10% more than the Florida mail vendor would have otherwise charged. Over a four-year period, Mr. Gallo repeatedly lied and caused others to present false information to candidates so that he could continue to receive hidden kickbacks." Gallo was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Hartford to a year and a day in prison for taking kickbacks on campaign mailings he arranged. Campaign for Attorney General. On April 19, 2017, Mattei announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider a run for statewide office. On December 4 , 2017, Mattei announced his candidacy for Attorney General. On January 8, 2018, Mattei announced that he had reached the threshold to qualify for public funding in the Attorney General's race, the first candidate to do so, and the only candidate for Attorney General to do so without accepting any contributions from lobbyists. On May 19, 2018, Mattei qualified for the primary ballot by receiving 36.78 percent of the delegate vote at the Democratic Convention.