The arrest was announced Tuesday by Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin. Bradley faces four charges involving absentee ballots and their handling.
Voter Alesia Dennis said she had already filled out her absentee ballot when the former senator came to her apartment. She accused him of opening it and instructing her to change her vote from incumbent Paul Ganim to his brother, Mark Bradley, who was challenging Ganim for the probate judge position.
“I felt intimidated,” Dennis told NBC Connecticut in describing the encounter. She said she followed Bradley’s directions because of that feeling, according to the interview.
One charge alleges Bradley was present while an applicant executed an absentee ballot. The fourth involves the alleged unlawful opening of a ballot. Dennis contacted Bridgeport police on August 5, and filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission the following day.
The commission referred the matter to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for further investigation. Prosecutors then brought the charges announced this week.
Dennis said she handed the absentee ballot to police after the encounter and later voted in person at the registrar of voters’ office. “I shouldn’t have to go through that twice,” she said, describing the burden of casting another ballot.
Bradley’s attorney, Darnell Crosland, says the former senator maintains his innocence. Bradley was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on October 21.
Connecticut Republican lawmakers Stephen Harding and Rob Sampson criticized the case in a joint statement. They called the accusations an embarrassment for Bridgeport. Their response reflects the political stakes, but the prosecution must still stand on evidence rather than party affiliation.
The allegation raises a basic election integrity concern: a voter must be free to make her own choice. That protection applies regardless of which candidate the voter supports or which party holds the primary.
Dennis’s reported experience also illustrates how alleged interference can reach beyond the ballot itself. She said the ordeal initially made her consider giving up voting altogether. “I wasn’t going to vote no more,” Dennis said after Bradley’s arrest. She later said she still trusted Bridgeport’s election system and intended to keep voting.
That distinction matters because her complaint concerns an individual’s alleged actions, not a finding against election officials. A criminal charge does not establish that every part of a complainant’s account has been proven. It does require the accused to answer the specific allegations in court.
Bradley represented Bridgeport in the Connecticut Senate from 2019 through 2023. He also has a separate federal conviction tied to his 2018 state Senate campaign. Bradley was convicted in March of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five wire-fraud counts. That earlier case concerned Connecticut’s public campaign financing program, WTNH reported.
The public now has two separate issues to follow: what happened in the apartment and how authorities handle the evidence. The court date on October 21 gives Bradley an opportunity to respond to the allegations through the legal process.
