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January 30,2015
Boss of largest Ponzi scheme in CT history gets 13 years in prison
Former hedge fund manager Francisco Illarramendi was handed a 13-year prison sentence Thursday after pleading guilty to charges that he orchestrated a $723 million Ponzi scheme, the largest in Connecticut history, according to prosecutors.
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July 29, 2015
Affidavit Details State's Case in West Haven Slaying
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October 19, 2015
Ex-Danbury Cop Acquitted in Assault and Threatening Case
DANBURY — More than two years after former police officer Christopher Belair was caught on video yelling profanities at an undocumented immigrant during a traffic stop, a jury on Thursday found him not guilty of the criminal charges that resulted.
In an arrest warrant affidavit unsealed Tuesday, the prosecution lays out its case against Christopher Miller, 40, charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Brooks, said to be his longtime friend. Brooks’ bound body had three gunshot wounds, and an explosive was nearby. He was the divorced father of two children. Miller appeared Wednesday before Superior Court Judge John J. Ronan with his special public defender, Donald J. Cretella Jr. of Zingaro & Cretella, Bridgeport.
The case against Ketryk K. Wilder, 20, accused of stabbing his University of New Haven roommate, has been continued a month. Wilder, of New York, appeared briefly Wednesday afternoon before Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti with his attorney, Donald J. Cretella Jr. of Zingaro & Cretella in Bridgeport.A no-contact order was continued by Iannotti. The case is being prosecuted by State’s Attorney Kevin D. Lawlor.
Fernandes has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and faces up to 40 years in prison. Fernandes, who has no criminal history in Connecticut, first stood trial in October. The trial lasted more than a month and a jury was unable to reach a verdict after six days of deliberations. Attorney Zingaro will retry the case in the near future.
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NEW HAVEN-- Police announced Tuesday that Adrian Bennett has been arrested by police and members of the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force for the shooting at the Key Club Cabaret that left one dead and five wounded. It is reported that Bennett has retained Bridgeport defense attorney Donald J. Cretella, Jr. of Zingaro & Cretella. Over the past year Cretella has secured not guilty verdicts in the three separate criminal trials of James Hayes, Mahlon Lawrence and Labian McKnight.
A six-member jury found a 20-year-old Bridgeport man not guilty of the gun and drug charges against him. Judge William Holden granted defense attorney Eugene Zingaro's motion to acquit Cooper of carrying a pistol without a permit. Zingaro had argued that Cooper's fingerprints and DNA were not found on the pistol, and the pistol was found in a locked glovebox in a car that Cooper was not driving.Zingaro praised the work of Norwalk Police and State's Attorney Nadia Prinz after the jury delivered the verdict.
After hearing 12 days of testimony and deliberating for over 12 hours, a 12-person jury returned four handwritten notes to Judge Alvin Thompson—but no verdict. The jury is charged with deciding the fate of five people the government says took part in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud conspiracy.The scam allegedly bilked government and private lenders of millions of dollars and left a trail of blighted homes in New Haven and surrounding towns. Prosecutors say a ring of 15 people participated in the scheme. Most have pleaded guilty.