Waterbury Investigation Casts Wide Net From Yankee Stadium to Super Bowl Pool.
A federal investigation of the wild world of law enforcement and criminal justice in Waterbury has led authorities along a trail of games, gambling, tickets, and stretched rigs. Even for Waterbury, the probe is providing sober-minded scrutineers with a startling look at a furtive system of debts and favors.
A hefty annual Super Bowl pool run out of a local restaurant provides $100,000 in cash to the holder of the winning square. One hundred blocks are sold at a $1,000 each, with friends and others often joining to buy a square. Sources say the winners of the 2009 Steelers v. Cardinals game are of particular interest to investigators. Oops, at least one recent winner is scrambling to amend his tax returns. The extent of the pool may put it beyond the “bona fide social relationships” standard of the law allowing friendly gambling. Until now, organizers, bettors, and winners had no need to trouble themselves with thoughts of the prying gaze of local law enforcement. That changed after the feds intercepted one of the organizers of the pool at the Waterbury OTB facility.
Waterbury police officials and courthouse denizens are said to be scrambling to find receipts for tickets to sweet seats at Yankee Stadium. Good luck. Some of those thank you emails, text messages and celebratory cellphone photos may tell the story in lieu of reimbursements to the generous Yankees ticket providers. Investigators may be searching for photos of happy fans from the Brass City standing by or sitting in a chariot that looks like this Hummer.
The new details add to the troubling picture emerging from the Waterbury judicial district. Chief State’s Attorney John Connelly is reported to have accepted trips to Las Vegas and Florida from Waterbury criminal defense lawyer Martin Minella. According to The Hartford Courant, Connelly says he reimbursed Minella in cash for expenses Minella paid for Connelly and a mystery guest. If that’s his best defense, he won’t be able to hang onto his job for long. There’s no proper reason for a prosecutor to entangle his finances with a defense lawyer (or subordinate, for that matter). Consider the uproar if Ted Wells, who represented Scooter Libby, had been fronting money for Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to fly between Washington, D.C. and Reno–or Fitzgerald’s spartan home in Chicago– during the 2007 trial of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff for obstruction of justice and perjury.
As details of the Waterbury investigation make their way into the public domain, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane will need to explain what he knows about the investigation and when he learned it. Kane ought to reveal this week his plan to lift the cloud over the fair administration of justice in Waterbury. Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers will also need to assure the public that she’s taken steps to discover if the judiciary–including courthouse personnel–has been stained by the muck swirling about Waterbury.
UPDATE: The Connecticut Law Tribune adds to the essential story.
12 comments
Kevin, you will be waiting a long time for a cogent and honest response from Kane. He knows such behavior. Johnnie Boy is his own entity the line will go. He, and only he, is responsible for his behavior.
If Kane has the authority to remove Connolly temporarily, which I don’t believe that he does, he obviously should. Lord only knows the narcissistic Connolly won’t do it himself.
Does any website break more CT news than this? I think not. Good work as usual getting the story.
Connolly’s defense? I am John Connolly and I’m from Waterbury. Nuff said!
As a party who knows John I can say you are wrong about him. He may be consumed with his importance but he takes intimate care of his minions. They will not rat him out and Marty will not talk to the feds.
“Does any website break more CT news than this? I think not. Good work as usual getting the story.”
Rennie “breaks” blog posts that aren’t always correct or true so I don’t know how much value there is to wrong information (Fedele winning the primary, only ten State Rep. primaries when there were actually more than 20, etc.)
I don’t know anything or anybody that’s always correct or true. I’m with Ryan–Kevin does quite a job.
Kevin’s blog is worth reading everyday! Good information and a unique perspective.
Norm Pattis appears to be writing about the Feds’ investigation of Minnella and Connelly here. It sheds some light on what’s going on.
http://normpattis.blogspot.com/2010/08/white-collar-warrior-silvergate-and.html
Enfielder, Minnella and Connelly aren’t mentioned at all in that link you provided.
EdM,
Cmon. Anyone with half a brain can identify the individuals Pattis is referencing in his post.
Why don’t you stick to reading the ‘puff pieces’ issued by the Pape’s rag known as the Waterbury Republican-American?
Waterbury in the news once again. This should come to no surprise to any Waterburians.
Hmmmmmm. Funny watching everybody chat about everybody they know in Waterbury. In reading the news I found it amusing the names involved. Is anybody takingda very close look at who the players are and who should be held to task?
It will come out. It will all come out.
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