Ex-Fairfield CFO Charged In Fill Pile Investigation, Police Say

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield's former chief fiscal officer has been arrested and charged after stealing several files from the town, some of which are related to the ongoing investigation of corruption and contamination in connection with the town fill pile, according to police.

Bob Mayer was terminated from his town job Jan. 15, and on Jan. 16 in the early morning hours, he entered Sullivan Independence Hall and removed several file folders containing town documents, including some related to the fill pile investigation, police said in a news release.

Mayer, 77, of New Canaan, turned himself in Friday to Fairfield police headquarters after a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the news release. He was charged with burglary, larceny and evidence tampering, police said, and was released on a $10,000 bond and ordered to appear Monday in Bridgeport Superior Court.

Attorney Richard Meehan, who is representing Mayer, said he believes the charges against Mayer are unfounded and that Mayer intends to plead not guilty.

"It's our intention to fight this aggressively," Meehan said. "... I think the town has treated him unfairly."

Mayer began working for Fairfield in 2012 as the chief of staff to former first selectman Mike Tetreau before becoming chief fiscal officer. Prior to his employment with the town, he was a member of the Board of Finance and worked in executive management in the health care industry.

Selectman Tom Flynn was chair of the Board of Finance for 10 years and worked closely with Mayer before being elected to the Board of Selectmen in November.

"I'm very disappointed and I'm very sad and I guess we're just going to have to watch the process play out," Flynn said, adding Mayer was cooperative when the Board of Finance in August met to discuss a public works audit in the wake of the fill pile scandal. "... It's really a surprise that it's come to this."

Chief of Police Christopher Lyddy said there are no other pending cases involving Mayer and no additional charges against him expected, although the fill pile investigation remains open.

"The investigators assigned to this case have done a tremendous job with a very difficult situation and they continue to look at all avenues of this case," he said.

Lyddy deferred to the Chief State's Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case, for additional comments. Division of Criminal Justice spokesman Mark Dupuis did not immediately respond Friday to a call seeking comment.

Mayer was terminated by newly elected First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, who took office in November and has since overseen several high-level administrative changes.

"I cannot comment on personnel matters or the ongoing criminal investigation," Kupchick said in a prepared statement. "I would like to thank the Fairfield Police Department for their investigative work and I will continue to cooperate with law enforcement to bring to justice those who have compromised the health and safety of our residents."

Mayer is the third town official to be charged in connection with the fill pile. In August, public works director Joe Michelangelo and public works superintendent Scott Bartlett were charged with financial and environmental crimes related to the management of the site, as was Julian Companies Owner Jason Julian. Michelangelo, Bartlett and Julian have all pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial, and Michelangelo and Bartlett were fired from their town jobs.

Fairfield hired Julian Development in 2013 to operate the fill pile and reduce the amount of unused project material on the site by 40,000 cubic yards. But over the next three years, the pile more than doubled in size, and days before the agreement was set to end, PCBs and lead were discovered on the property.

After conservation officials said the transportation and dumping of contaminated material could have violated state or federal law, police opened an investigation in 2017, which resulted in the arrests.

Around the same time that Michelangelo, Bartlett and Julian were charged, asbestos at a local park was reported to police in connection with the use of town fill. Since August, more than 70 sites in Fairfield have been tested for contamination. The vast majority have been deemed safe, but some sites were found to contain asbestos, arsenic and other contaminants, and are undergoing remediation.

The town has also received violation notices from the state and federal government regarding PCB contamination and lack of permitting at the fill pile site, and is working to develop a response plan.

Fairfield has sued Julian for millions in damages and Julian has sued the town for defamation.