Ex-West Haven employee John Bernardo gets jail time, ordered to pay $59K in COVID relief fund scheme
Mar. 22—WEST HAVEN —
Bernardo was the first of four codefendants to be sentenced in connection with the fraud, which targeted funds intended to assist with needs arising from the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Democratic state Rep.
Williams said a presentencing report suggested a range of 27 to 33 months of incarceration, but noted that Bernardo is "in a different category" than DiMassa and Trasacco.
"Nobody should take your sentence to suggest some of your codefendants deserve similar leniency," he said.
Assistant
"In
Although Bernardo received a total of
Miller said that, despite Bernardo's decades-long career in the
Cerritelli argued that Bernardo had "never found himself on the wrong side of the law" in nearly 67 years and has dedicated his life to saving lives.
"He has courage I can only dream of," he said, and had made "a significant deposit in the bank of good will."
Cerritelli pointed the finger at DiMassa for being the main culprit and said it was "ironic" that DiMassa's cooperation with the government in prosecuting the cases of his codefendants potentially could lead to leniency in his sentence.
In very brief remarks before Williams handed down the sentence, Bernardo apologized to the residents of
In Rossi's letter, which she provided to the Register, she said Bernardo had been "a COVID hero" prior to
"
Rossi said Bernardo had decided to file legal action with the
Rossi said the city wants a written public apology, community service such as "clean(ing) toilets" or "pick(ing) up trash," immediate payment of restitution, proof that Bernardo filed and paid the proper taxes for the stolen funds, that he be disbarred from
Williams said a letter from Bernardo's colleague from the fire service noted that Bernardo was seriously injured while responding to a call, nearly slipping through floorboards into flames before catching himself on rafters and being lifted up, and he returned to the department after making enough of a recovery to do so.
Although Williams said he did not agree with Cerritelli's argument that Bernardo was a "minor player," he said Bernardo's share of ill-gotten funds was a low percentage of the total scheme. He said DiMassa was the one controlling the money, and Bernardo had been unable to access the funds on his own. He also said Bernardo's public service, including his advocacy to have a chairlift installed in the home of someone who had become newly disabled, further contributed to a reduction of his sentence.
Bernardo is expected to report to prison by
At his change of plea hearing last summer, Bernardo admitted guilt to his part in the scheme with DiMassa by forming a shell company called
State Attorney General
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