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Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K
Former Attorney In Fairfield County Admits Defrauding Clients Of More Than $700K A former real estate lawyer based in Fairfield County faces prison time for illegally using funds received from his clients, causing them to lose over $700,000.  Westerly, Rhode Island resident William McCullough, age 62, admitted to the embezzling scheme on Wednesday, Nov. 23, according to the Connecticut Department of Justice District.  As part of his Stamford-based law practice, McCullough would handle real estate transactions for clients and receive funds that he was required to deposit into an Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA Account) to use as part of his dutie…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses
Ex-Fairfield County Public Works Director Admits To Environmental Offenses A former Fairfield County public works director pleaded guilty to nine felony environmental and fraud offenses. Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin announced on Monday, Nov. 7 that former Fairfield Director of Public Works Joseph Michelangelo, age 61, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty to the charges. Michelangelo entered guilty pleas to: Receiving solid waste at an unpermitted facility Illegal disposal of asbestos Illegal disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Conspiracy to commit larceny and other environmental offenses. Under his plea agreement, he faces up to 10 years i…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce
Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get $372M More In Distributions, Feds Announce Thousands of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme victims will be receiving their portions of the latest distribution of more than $370 million. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced that the Madoff Victim Fund will be distributing approximately $372 million to 40,000 victims worldwide who were involved in the fraud scheme. Earlier Report: Madoff Ponzi Scheme Victims To Get Nearly $500M More In Distributions To date, approximately $4 billion has been distributed to Madoff’s victims. Williams said that this eighth payment will bring the victims’ total re…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions
CT Man Sentenced For Scams That Defrauded Hundreds Of Victims Across US Out Of Millions A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Rodney Thomas, age 31, of New Haven, was sentenced to six years behind bars Tuesday, Aug. 23 in federal court in Bridgeport after a jury convicted him of multiple charges stemming from the scheme. Federal prosecutors said Thomas and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sendin…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor
Decomposed Body Found In Connecticut Home ID'd As Ponzi Swindler, Jeffrey Epstein Mentor A body found in a Connecticut home during a welfare check has positively been identified as Steven Hoffenberg, a longtime mentor of Jeffrey Epstein. Hoffenberg, the one-time owner of the New York Post and businessman who spent 18 years in prison for a $460 million Ponzi scheme, was found in the New Haven County home around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, in the city of Derby. According to the Derby Police, the medical examiner's office confirmed on Friday, Aug. 26, that the badly decomposed body was that of Hoffenberg.  An initial autopsy did not find signs of trauma on the body, the…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes
Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Role In $5M Lottery, Romance Fraud Schemes A Connecticut man who took part in a massive scheme defrauding elderly victims out of millions of dollars is heading to federal prison. Stanley Pierre, age 35, of Bridgeport was sentenced to 2 ½ years behind bars Wednesday, Aug. 3 in federal court in Bridgeport after pleading guilty to one count of money laundering. Federal prosecutors said Pierre and several others bilked 200 elderly victims across the country out of more than $5 million through bogus lottery and romance scams carried out between August 2015 and March 2020. Some unsuspecting victims were duped into sending money after the…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say
CT Woman Nabbed Stealing $38K From Fairfield County Resident, Police Say A Connecticut woman has been arrested for allegedly writing more than $38,000 in fraudulent checks from the account of a Fairfield County resident. An investigation into the incident began in Westport in June 2021 after a resident reported that an unknown person has used his personal information to write more than $38,000 in checks. The checks were deposited into a Citibank account which led detectives to question a man identified as Eldrege Christmas as a suspect, said Lt. David Wolf, of the Westport Police. As a result, a search warrant to examine Christmas’s cell phone was obtained. Ad…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Massachusetts Man Admits To Attempting To Buy $83K Sports Car Using Stolen IDs Massachusetts Man Admits To Attempting To Buy $83K Sports Car Using Stolen IDs
Massachusetts Man Admits To Attempting To Buy $83K Sports Car Using Stolen IDs A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to attempting to buy an $83,000 Chevrolet Camaro using two victims' stolen identities. Worcester County resident Brandon Brouillard, age 28, of Worcester, made the plea on Thursday, April 8, said the US Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts.  According to court documents, in February 2021, Brouillard used the identity of a New Hampshire resident to open a bank account at Avidia Bank by wiring $108,000 from another individual’s Bank of America account.  Brouillard also fraudulently obtained a New Hampshire driver’s license in the …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked
Woman Accused Of Spending Thousands From Gift Cards She Stole At CT Walmart Where She Worked A Connecticut woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to pull a fast one on her employer to the tune of thousands of dollars worth of stolen gift cards, police said. In New Haven County, police in Milford arrested West Haven resident Josephine Gomez, age 52, who was taken into custody by investigators on Tuesday, March 29 after a warrant was issued for her arrest for allegedly stealing from the Walmart store on Boston Post Road. According to a spokesperson from the Milford Police Department, Gomez is accused of creating fraudulent returns at Walmart in Milford and loading more t…

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by Zak Failla
Business
Alert Issued For Uptick In Online Used Car Scams In Connecticut Alert Issued For Uptick In Online Used Car Scams In Connecticut
Alert Issued For Uptick In Online Used Car Scams In Connecticut Consumers in Connecticut are being cautioned to be aware of a new uptick in online car purchasing scams after multiple complaints were levied by would-be buyers who wired money to fraudsters. The Better Business Bureau issued an alert advising of new scams that have arisen as the demand for used cars in Connecticut has spiked, leading to acts of fraud across the state. According to officials, scammers have been listing used cars for sale through sponsored ads and through social media. Victims have then been told to wire money for the vehicle to a shipping or escrow company, while the scamm…

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by Zak Failla
News
COVID-19: CT Couple Pays $169K To Resolve Claims Of Relief Loan Fraud COVID-19: CT Couple Pays $169K To Resolve Claims Of Relief Loan Fraud
Covid-19: CT Couple Pays $169K To Resolve Claims Of Relief Loan Fraud A Connecticut couple paid nearly $170,000 to resolve allegations that they allegedly spent thousands in small business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, federal officials announced. New Haven County residents Janine and Gerard Carbonaro, of Oxford, agreed to pay 169,563.60 as part of an agreement for fraudulently misspending $109,000 in small business loans during the pandemic to purchase new property in Florida. US Attorney Leonard Boyle said that on April 7, 2020, Gerard Carbonaro applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Grant/Advance on be…

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by Zak Failla
News
Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme
Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme A former employee of a Massachusetts city's housing development office was sentenced for her role in a $2.3 million property development fraud scheme. Jacklyn Sutcivni, age 48, of the Middlesex County town of Dracut, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and false claims, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Monday, March 28. She was convicted of the charges on Aug. 4. Sutcivni was an employee of the City of Worcester’s Housi…

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by Nicole Valinote