New Woes For Former Ct. Gov.

Connecticut's top prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for former Gov. John G. Rowland amid an investigation into ties between Rowland and state contractors, his attorney said Monday.

Rowland has been in a federal prison in Pennsylvania since April after pleading guilty to a charge he conspired to trade his office for favors and to commit tax fraud.

State prosecutors are looking into whether consulting work Rowland accepted after he relinquished the governorship last year violated Connecticut's "revolving door" laws on lobbying.

R. Bartley Halloran, Rowland's attorney, said he does not know the specific charges being sought by the state, but believes they have to do with Rowland's employment after leaving office.

"We feel that on the facts of the law that he has committed no crime, and our great worry would be whether or not he could get a fair trial," Halloran said.

A message seeking comment Monday from Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano was not immediately returned.

Rowland resigned July 1, 2004, amid allegations he accepted gifts from state contractors, employees and others in exchange for favors. He pleaded guilty in December to a single federal felony count, acknowledging he received more than $100,000 in repairs to his cottage, private flights to Las Vegas and Vermont vacations.

The legislature's Government Administration and Elections Committee has been examining whether Rowland violated ethics laws by possibly lobbying too soon after leaving state service. The panel referred information to Morano.

Former state officials are banned from approaching their old offices on behalf of a private company for a year after they leave office.

A lawyer for Klewin Building Co. has told lawmakers that the contractor hired Rowland to set up meetings on bond issues and meet with developers for Indian casinos in New York.

Rowland's contract with the Georgia-based National Science Center Foundation and Connecticut's technical school system was intended to expand a pilot program that used computers to connect math skills to specific trades.

If Rowland is charged by the state, he would have to be transferred to a Connecticut prison and await trial, Halloran said.

He said Rowland offered to waive the statute of limitations on any state charges until after he finishes his federal sentence. But Morano declined, the lawyer said.

"It's a crushing blow to him, but he's going to fight these charges," Halloran said of Rowland, who is expected to finish his federal sentence next Feb. 10.

Both a prosecutor and a judge must sign an arrest warrant, which is needed to charge someone unless an arrest is made at the scene of a crime.