Man Found Guilty In Scheme To Steal West Haven’s COVID-19 Relief Funds

WEST HAVEN, CT — A West Haven man has been found guilty by a jury for his role in the scheme to steal COVID-19 relief funds from the city, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery announced.

John Trasacco, 50, was found guilty of conspiracy and fraud charges Friday in Hartford federal court. The trial before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams began on Nov. 21 and the jury returned the guilty verdicts on Friday afternoon.

DiMassa, 31, of West Haven, pleaded guilty last month in federal court in Hartford to conspiracy charges stemming from his involvement in several fraud schemes.

DiMassa, a Democrat who represented the 116th District including parts of West Haven and New Haven, was arrested Oct. 20, 2021 on a federal complaint. He then resigned from his seat in the state House of Representatives and as Administrative Assistant to the West Haven City Council.

West Haven received approximately $1.15 million in federal funds from the CARES Act from July 2020 through Sept. 2021 to help pay for costs incurred in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“DiMassa, who was authorized to approve the designated relief funds for the reimbursement of COVID-related expenditures incurred by West Haven, conspired with others to steal these funds and other West Haven funds through the submission of fraudulent invoices, and subsequent payment, for COVID relief goods and services that were never provided,” officials wrote in a news release. “The investigation revealed that DiMassa conspired with Trasacco through the submission of fraudulent invoices from L & H Company and JIL Sanitation Services, two companies controlled by Trasacco, to West Haven for goods and services, including thousands of units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), HVAC maintenance at multiple municipal locations, COVID supplies for the Board of Education, and cleaning services for various municipal and school buildings, including one school building that had been vacant and abandoned for several years. Trasacco’s companies received approximately $431,982 through this scheme.”

The jury found Trasacco guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. A sentencing date hasn’t been scheduled.

Trasacco, who had been released on a $100,000 bond, was remanded to custody at the conclusion of Friday’s court proceedings pending his ability to meet his increased bond requirements, according to officials.

DiMassa pleaded guilty Nov. 1 to three counts of wire fraud, admitting that he defrauded the City of West Haven of more than $1.2 million through this scheme and two other schemes. He awaits sentencing.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form here.