Criminal Justice Commission Refers Names of Inspector General Candidates to Legislature

The Honorable Andrew J. McDonald, Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, announced that the Commission has referred the names of both Attorney Brian Preleski and Attorney C. Robert Satti, Jr., to the legislature for consideration for the position of Deputy Chief State’s Attorney/Inspector General.

The position was created pursuant to the recent passage of House Bill 6004, An Act Concerning Police Accountability.

At the Commission’s virtual meeting Thursday, the Commission deadlocked 3-3 in separate votes on the nominations. Justice McDonald and attorneys Reginald Dwayne Betts and Moy N. Ogilvie voted to nominate State’s Attorney Preleski. Attorneys Robert Berke, Scott Murphy and Appellate Court Judge Melanie Cradle voted to nominate Attorney Satti. By law, Chief State's Attorney Richard Colangelo, Jr., cannot participate in the consideration of Deputy Chief State's Attorney applicants.

“Two well-qualified and accomplished prosecutors will now go before the legislature for this very challenging and important position,” Justice McDonald said. “I commend New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski and Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney C. Robert Satti, Jr. for applying for this new position that comes without precedent and undoubtedly will have to navigate unchartered territory in Connecticut.”

Attorney Preleski joined the Division of Criminal Justice in 1993. He has served as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of New Britain since 2011 and was reappointed in 2014. The Judicial District of New Britain includes the cities of New Britain and Bristol and eight surrounding communities.

Attorney Preleski earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut in 1987 and a Juris Doctor Degree with High Honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1991. He was a JAG Officer in the United States Army Reserve from 2001-2008. He was in private practice from 1991-93.

After working in private practice from 1979-1980, Attorney Satti joined the Division of Criminal Justice in 1980 and became a Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney in the Judicial District of Fairfield in 2009.

Attorney Satti earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 1975 and a Juris Doctor Degree with Honors from Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2017, Attorney Satti was selected to serve as a representative on a hearing at Guantanamo Bay Navy base in Cuba for an al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan.

Established under Article XXIII of the Connecticut Constitution, the Criminal Justice Commission is responsible for the appointment of all state prosecutors in Connecticut.

In addition to Justice McDonald, Senior Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the commission's membership includes Appellate Court Judge Cradle, attorneys Betts, Berke, Murphy and Ogilvie and Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo.