Participant in Southington Construction Bribe Case Sentenced

SOUTHINGTON/STAMFORD, CT — A man involved in a construction bribery case involving Southington and Stamford companies is getting prison time, a leading prosecutor said.

John H. Durham, United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Michael Uszakiewicz, 52, of Prospect, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 16 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for his role in a bribery scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Uszakiewicz was the owner of K&M Fire Protection in Southington. Javed Choudhry was employed by a construction company based in Stamford. Between approximately 2011 and 2014, Uszakiewicz and other contractors paid a total of $250,000 to $500,000 in bribes to Choudhry to receive millions of dollars in contracts on construction projects in Stamford, according to case records.

On April 17, 2018, Uszakiewicz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

As part of the resolution of this case, Uszakiewicz forfeited $1,121,106, Durham said.

Judge Thompson ordered Uszakiewicz, who has been free on a $100,000 bond, to report to prison on Jan. 4, 2019.

On May 16, 2017, Choudhry, of Glastonbury, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. On Sept. 6, 2018, he was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment and four months of home confinement, and was ordered to pay back taxes of approximately $47,500, plus interest and penalties.

See that story here.

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