A former Democratic lawmaker in Connecticut pleaded guilty on Tuesday for gambling some of his city’s federal coronavirus relief funds at a casino, according to prosecutors.
Michael Dimassa, a state representative in West Haven, appeared in federal court in Hartford and pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege that DiMassa used his position as an aide to the West Haven City Council to steal the funds, using some of the money for gambling at the Mohegan Sun Casino in eastern Connecticut.
DiMassa resigned from both positions after his arrest last year. His wife, Lauren DiMassa, and his former business partner, John Bernardo, also pleaded guilty earlier this year, while a fourth person charged in the case, business owner John Trasacco, is still awaiting trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller said that the Democratic lawmaker was involved in three separate conspiracies that defrauded the city of $1.2 million through fake invoices for pandemic-related services that were never performed.
During the hearing, DiMassa said “guilty” one time when asked by Judge Omar Williams how he was pleading to the three charges.
West Haven Mayor Nancy Rossi issued a statement on Tuesday following the guilty plea.
“Hopefully now that Mr. DiMassa and two others have pleaded guilty, leaving only one person left who has pleaded not guilty, the city of West Haven will be able to move forward. Since these incidents happened, there are many additional internal controls in place. There have also been many changes in personnel in Finance and other departments. West Haven is trying to put this behind us and move forward,” Rossi said.
Former state Rep. Michael DiMassa declined to comment as he was leaving federal court in Hartford, where he pleaded guilty to three conspiracy charges.
— Andrew Brown (@Andy_Ed_Brown) November 1, 2022
He could face between 41 months to 51 months in prison. And could be required to pay millions in restitution and fines. pic.twitter.com/dLD6cBr8Kg
DiMassa declined to answer questions as he left the courthouse, but his lawyer, John Gulash Jr., said that some answers as to why the former state representative pleaded guilty will come at sentencing.
“As you heard in court, he readily admitted his wrongdoing and entered pleas to the appropriate charges,” Gulash said.
This comes after city officials came under scrutiny for how they spent more than $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. In May, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont approved a recommendation by a state board to place West Haven’s finances under greater state oversight.
