4th defendant in DiMassa's alleged Connecticut fraud scheme offered plea deal

Nov. 2—WEST HAVEN — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday outlined the details of a plea deal offered to a man accused of participating in an alleged scheme to defraud the city of West Haven involving a former state representative.

Contractor John Trasacco is accused of conspiring with former Democratic state Rep. Michael DiMassa to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds from the city through fraudulent invoices.

Three people arrested in connection with the theft, including DiMassa, have accepted plea deals from the state. DiMassa pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and both DiMassa's wife, Lauren DiMassa, and former city employee John Bernardo pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. At DiMassa's change of plea hearing Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller said DiMassa enacted the same pattern of fraud with three different people.

Trasacco is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Miller said Trasacco's legal counsel received a plea agreement on Aug. 31 similar to Trasacco's codefendants that offered an opportunity to plead guilty to only the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge. Such a plea would reduce the amount of incarceration Trasacco might face were he found guilty at trial.

Although Miller and public defender Lillian Odongo, who is representing Trasacco, had a sidebar conversation following Wednesday's hearing, both declined to comment as to whether Trasacco had made a decision whether to accept the government's deal.

According to court documents, federal investigators said DiMassa used additional power granted to him by West Haven's City Council as the body's administrative assistant to sign off on fraudulent invoices totaling more than $1.2 million. In all cases, federal funding intended for pandemic relief expenses were involved.

A shell company called Compass Investment Group LLC with both DiMassa and Bernardo listed as principals received in excess of $600,000 for consulting and lobbying services among other functions charged to the Health Department. City officials said they did not bid for or receive any services from Compass Investment Group LLC.

DiMassa's wife also received more than $100,000 in compensation for a youth violence prevention program that was never provided.

Federal investigators allege Trasacco received approximately $431,982 to two of his companies — L & H Company LLC and JIL Sanitation Solutions LLC — as part of the scheme. Federal officials allege he did not provide any of the services or materials that were billed in the invoice, including thousands of units of personal protective equipment, maintenance to heating and air-conditioning units, COVID supplies for the Board of Education and cleaning services for various municipal and school buildings — including "a charge for cleaning a school building that had been vacant and abandoned for several years."

Jury selection in Trasacco's case is scheduled to begin Nov. 17.

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