Former East Haven cop Jason Zullo to be sentenced for obstruction on Monday Zullo faces 24 months in prison

East Haven police Officer Jason Zullo, center, with attorney Norman Pattis, left, and an unidentified woman, walks to court in Hartford in October 2012. East Haven police Officer Jason Zullo, center, with attorney Norman Pattis, left, and an unidentified woman, walks to court in Hartford in October 2012. Photo: Mara Lavitt — New Haven Register Photo: Mara Lavitt — New Haven Register Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Former East Haven cop Jason Zullo to be sentenced for obstruction on Monday 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

EAST HAVEN >> Former town police Officer Jason Zullo is expected to be sentenced Monday in federal court for obstruction of justice and could be sent to prison for 24 months.

According to sentencing documents from the U.S. attorney’s office, “the government respectfully requests that Zullo be sentenced to the term of incarceration that his criminal conduct warrants — 24 months. Zullo stands before this court having pled to one count of obstruction and undoubtedly will seek to excuse his conduct as an isolated incident. The evidence obtained during the course of the investigation, however, demonstrates that Zullo repeatedly abused his position of power as an East Haven police officer and that his actions were premeditated and intended to injure those that he deemed should not be permitted in his town.”

Zullo pleaded guilty in October 2012 to one charge of obstruction of justice after admitting that he purposely left out of a police report the fact that his cruiser had repeatedly hit a motorcycle driven by Robert Salatto, with Salatto’s helmetless girlfriend riding on the back, when he was chasing them on Oct. 18, 2008.

As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution agreed not to push for more than 24 months in prison, while Zullo, 35, and his attorney, Norm Pattis, agreed not to seek less than 12 months, according to Pattis.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Zullo would face either 18 to 24 or 12 to 16 months in prison, depending on which side’s version of the applicable issues the judge accepts. He also faces up to three years of supervised release and up to a $250,000 fine, plus possible restitution.

The charge is a felony, which means Zullo will lose his rights to vote, hold office and carry a firearm. He also will be required to give up a sample of his DNA.

Zullo’s plea deals only with the motorcycle incident and “does not address” the “ethnic-based” allegations that had been at the center of a federal criminal and civil rights investigation of the East Haven Police Department, said Pattis.

Those allegations included a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of Latinos and other residents, including ethnic profiling, disparate treatment and use of excessive force. i

The plea made Zullo the second of four former East Haven police officers indicted in January 2012 to plead guilty, following Sgt. John Miller, who changed his plea on Sept. 21. Miller will be sentenced Feb. 1. According to his plea agreement, Miller could avoid jail time if he fully cooperates with prosecutors.

Two other former officers, David Cari and Dennis Spaulding, decided to go to trial. A jury found both guilty in October of numerous charges including conspiracy to violate civil rights, deprivation of rights for making arrests without probable cause and obstruction of justice.

Spaulding was additionally convicted on an unreasonable force charge. Both will be sentenced Jan. 21.