Connecticut Lawmaker Allegedly Stole Over $600K to Cover Mohegan Sun Casino Trips

A Nutmeg State lawmaker is cladding a federal conducting wire hoax charge. Law enforcement alleged that he stole to a greater extent than $600,000 to monetary fund his gaming excursions.

Connecticut Rep. Michael DiMassa (D-West Haven) was arrested yesterday and supercharged with ace matter of wire fraud. He appeared before US District Court Judge Sarah Merriam before beingness released on $250,000 bail.

Federal prosecutors aver that DiMassa formed an entity called Compass Investment Group LLC, and used the companionship to fraudulently slip COVID-19 assuagement pecuniary resource from the City of Dame Rebecca West Haven. In increase to existence a nation lawmaker, DiMassa has been a Benjamin West Haven city employee for 12 years, and most of late served as the administrative help to the Occident Haven City Council.

In that role, a federal investigating set that DiMassa potential had memory access to the $1.2 gazillion inward COVID-19 ease money the US government activity supplied the Constitution State townsfolk through and through the CARES Act.

DiMassa and his stave have not responded to multiple media inquiries for comment.

State Rep. Fancies the Casino

According to the stay affidavit levied against DiMassa, investigators trust Compass Investment Group posed as a consulting stiff that the City of Mae West Haven contracted to aid inwards its coronavirus response. Compass sent numerous invoices ranging from $11,000 to $87,000 to the metropolis betwixt Feb of 2021 through and through lastly month. In total, Compass billed Dame Rebecca West Haven $636,783.70.

Compass invoices claimed the bills were for consultancy services provided to the Cicily Isabel Fairfield Haven Health Department. But the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut River has found no such services beingness rendered past Compass.

As administrative help for Cicily Isabel Fairfield Haven, DiMassa mightiness experience had the freedom to government issue checks on the Compass invoices without favourable reception from any other metropolis official. The felon complaint veneer the state lawmaker alleges that DiMassa executed legion(p) withdrawals from Compass. Much of that money went towards his gaming trips to the Mohegan Sun tribal casino inwards Eastern Connecticut.

The federal affidavit claims DiMassa, shortly after withdrawing money from Compass, visited Mohegan Sun multiple times and purchased large amounts of gaming chips. The complaint alleges that he purchased $57,600 inwards cassino chips inwards May of this twelvemonth alone.

While DiMassa is considered clean-handed until proven guilty, he has been stripped-down of his committee and leaders assignments inward the state House spell the legal proceedings child's play out.

Mayor Uncovered Alleged Theft

West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi (D) appears to live the hero in this story. Earlier this month, Rossi, who is in her endorse term, proclaimed that metropolis officials had detected potency dupery inwards the disbursement of the town’s federal CARES money.

The US Justice Department, FBI, and Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General, all tercet of which investigated the DiMassa case, believe the country Democratic politico is at to the lowest degree partly responsible for the missing funds.

If Representative DiMassa bust the public’s swear and his oath to protect and dish up his constituents and is found guilty of fraudulent activity, i am demanding that he and any other individual(s) mired follow held accountable and prosecuted to the good extent of the law,” Rossi declared in a statement issued finally night.

“If convicted, all individuals involved should move to jail,” the mayor demanded.