Press Releases
05/01/2020
Criminal Justice Commission Appoints State’s Attorneys for Fairfield, Stamford/Norwalk Judicial Districts
The Honorable Andrew J. McDonald, Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, announced today the Commission has appointed Joseph T. Corradino as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Fairfield and Paul J. Ferencek as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk.
The appointments were approved by the commission in remote meetings conducted via the internet on Tuesday and Thursday to interview candidates for both positions. In-person meetings and interviews were not allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was an extraordinary process, and I wish to thank the public and all who participated in this process for their patience and understanding. I also wish to thank the outstanding group of candidates who stepped up to the plate and offered to serve in these critical positions,” Justice McDonald said.
“I congratulate attorneys Corradino and Ferencek on their appointments and welcome them to the leadership team at the Division of Criminal Justice. I am confident that both are fully up to the challenges of these very challenging times,” Justice McDonald said.
Attorney Corradino was appointed to succeed State’s Attorney John C. Smriga, who retired effective February 1, 2020, and will complete the remainder of the eight-year term to which Mr. Smriga was appointed in 2017.
Attorney Corradino is in his 30th year as a prosecutor, having joined the Division of Criminal Justice in 1990 after a year in private practice in Hartford. He is currently serving as a Senior Assistant State’s Attorney in Bridgeport, where he has tried nearly 90 cases to verdict, the majority of them homicides.
Attorney Corradino attained the rank of Major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he served from 2002 until his transfer to the Retired Service in October 2019. He served on the Connecticut Board of Firearms Permit Examiners from 2007-2013 and was Chairman from 2008-2013. He is a lecturer in criminal justice at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport and was adjunct instructor at the Quinnipiac University School of Law from 1994-2006. He is active in a variety of community and civic activities.
Attorney Corradino earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Providence College in Rhode Island and his Juris Doctor Degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Attorney Ferencek was appointed to succeed Richard J. Colangelo, Jr., who was appointed Chief State’s Attorney effective January 31, 2020. Attorney Ferencek will serve the remainder of the eight-year term for which Attorney Colangelo was appointed as Stamford/Norwalk State’s Attorney in 2018.
Attorney Ferencek is a veteran of nearly 32 years with the Division of Criminal Justice, the last three of which he has served as the Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney at the Part A Superior Court in Stamford.
He joined the Division of Criminal Justice in 1988 as a Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney in the Appellate Bureau at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. He also served in the Geographical Area courts in Derby, Milford and Stamford before transferring to the Part A court in Stamford in 2002.
He is an adjunct professor at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport and is admitted to the New York, U.S. District Court, U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. Supreme Court bar. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Fordham University in New York and Juris Doctor from the Quinnipiac University School of Law.
State’s Attorney Corradino will be chief law enforcement officer for the Fairfield Judicial District, which includes the city of Bridgeport and towns of Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. The State’s Attorney oversees the prosecutors and other staff serving the Judicial District, G.A., and Juvenile Matters courts in Bridgeport, and shares oversight of criminal housing matters in Bridgeport.
State’s Attorney Ferencek will be chief law enforcement officer for the Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District, which includes the cities of Stamford and Norwalk and towns of New Canaan, Weston, Westport and Wilton. The State’s Attorney oversees prosecutors and other staff serving the Judicial District and Juvenile Matters courts in Stamford, G.A. courts in Stamford and Norwalk and shares oversight for criminal housing matters prosecuted in Bridgeport.
Established pursuant to 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, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, its membership includes Superior Court Judge Melanie L. Cradle, attorneys Robert M. Berke, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Scott J. Murphy and Moy N. Ogilvie and Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo.