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Michael DeFilippo, 38, received one year of probation, three weekends of incarceration, and a $15,000 fine, the US Attorney Connecticut said.
The charges relate to DeFilippo's campaign for the 133rd District in 2017 and 2018. According to court records, DeFilippo manipulated elections by stealing and falsifying voter registration applications and absentee ballots, forging signatures, and submitting fraudulent documents for tenants who lived at properties he owned near Sacred Heart University, authorities said.
These actions directly impacted his tenants and voters in the district by diluting legitimate election results, the prosecutor said.
Repeated irregularities led to multiple re-runs of the Democratic primary in 2017 and 2018 before DeFilippo's eventual election in June 2018. Federal investigators found that his fraud deprived voters of their rights, including the right to have their votes accurately counted.
DeFilippo, who leased rental properties to Sacred Heart students, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to depriving rights under the color of law, the prosecutor said.
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