Perez Trial: Mayor's Wife Cancelled Home Depot Order One Month Before Costa Began Renovations

Scott Madison, a district manager for the Home Depot testified about an order Mayor Perez and his wife put in for a new countertop and sink on February 19, 2005. 

 

Madison says with installation the purchase totalled more than 4-thousand dollars.  But then the Perez's cancelled the order less than a month later .  Madison recounted what a store employee heard from Maria Perez, the Mayor's wife, when she cancelled the order.

 

"The quote that they received was below or lower than what we could actually sell."

 

Instead, the Perezs got the work done by city contractor, Carlos Costa

Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gailor then came back with a zinger for the defense.

 

Gailor: Is there any indication here as to what the price that you tried to match was? Madison: There is not, no. 

Gailor: Is there anyway Home Depot can match zero?

Madison: No.

 

Prosecutors allege the Perezs got $40,000 of kitchen and bath renovations for free from Costa, in the summer of 2005 as a bribe so Costa could get the mayor's help in keeping a lucrative city construction project. Perez's attorneys claim the Mayor tried to pay Costa but the contractor was reluctant to accept a payment. 

 

Meanwhile, Perez's lawyer, Hubert Santos says he won't seek to withdraw from the mayor's corruption trial or request a mistrial because of a statement he made during a conversation that he didn't know was being recorded.

 

Santos said on Tuesday that he told a state inspector in a 2007 phone call that a $20,000 bill for improvements at Perez's house by a city contractor represented all the work that was done.

 

Santos was worried his statement could implicate himself in the allegations because prosecutors say the bill grossly understated the actual costs. Today, Santos say the issue was resolved but wouldn't go into details when asked by reporters.

 

On Thursday, the court will hear from Michael Sullivan, lead investigator, about what Perez told him about the work he received from Costa.