Simsbury Man Charged With Defrauding Hospital Patients

SIMSBURY, CT — A Simsbury man was arrested Wednesday, accused of stealing more than $6,000 from patients who thought they were paying debts owed to a Hartford hospital.

Robert Catalano, 58, was arrested by Inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney on a warrant charging him with six counts of second-degree larceny of a person age 60 years or older.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Catalano continued to collect debts for St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center after the Hartford hospital terminated his company’s contract to provide debt collection services.

In Jan. 2016, St. Francis filed a complaint with the state Department of Banking against Catalano and his company, American Billing & Collections Inc., of Newington. The banking department subsequently referred the case to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney for criminal investigation, the warrant states.

Catalano is accused of collecting and keeping for his personal use more than $6,000 from patients and/or their spouses after St. Francis terminated his contract. The victims were age 60 or older at the time they made the payments, the warrant states.

Second-degree larceny of a person age 60 or older is a Class C felony, punishable by not less than one year or more than 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 on each count.

Catalano was released on a $6,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court July 24.

Larceny in the Second Degree of a person age 60 or older is a Class C felony punishable by not less than one year or more than 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 on each count, according to the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.

The Statewide Prosecution Bureau is prosecuting the case. The Department of Banking and Saint Francis Hospital assisted with the investigation.