by Donald Eng
. ROCKY HILL, CT — Former state Sen. Dennis A. Bradley has been charged in connection with the misuse of absentee ballots during the 2026 Bridgeport Democratic primary, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice.
On Tuesday, inspectors from the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and the Statewide Prosecution Bureau arrested the Bridgeport Democrat, 42, on a warrant charging him with two counts of illegal possession of absentee ballots and envelopes, present when an absentee ballot applicant executes an absentee ballot, and absentee ballots.
Bridgeport held a primary election for Democratic Party candidates on Aug. 11, 2026 which included the position of Judge of Probate. The candidates for that office were incumbent Paul Ganim, and his challenger, Mark Bradley, who is Dennis Bradley’s brother.
Electors had the ability to vote in person or by absentee ballot. A complainant contacted the Bridgeport Police Department on Aug. 5, 2026, and followed up with a complaint to the State Elections Enforcement Commission on Aug. 6, 2026, that a male known to her as “Dennis Bradley” came to her apartment, opened her previously executed absentee ballot, and instructed her how to change her vote from Paul Ganim to Mark Bradley, officials said. The SEEC subsequently referred the case to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for further investigation.
Bradley was released on a promise to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court, Geographical Area No. 2, on Oct. 21, 2026.
The department stressed that the charges are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
In March, Bradley was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the state’s program for publicly funding political campaigns during his 2018 run for office. A federal jury in New Haven convicted him on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud, although a judge later dropped three of the wire fraud counts.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on the fraud convictions Dec. 3.
Editor’s note – This story has been updated to correct a legal term.
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