Connecticut
Connecticut Man Defrauded NESN Out Of Over $575K, Prosecutors Say
BOSTON, MA — A Connecticut man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for defrauding his former employer, New England Sports Network (NESN), out of over $575,000, according to prosecutors.
Ariel Legassa, 52, was ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture of $580,000 and a $1,000 special assessment. He will serve 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Last year, he was convicted of seven counts of mail fraud and three counts of unlawful monetary transactions following a five-day jury trial.
Legassa was accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud NESN from December 2020 to January 2022. He negotiated a contract with a New York company to provide web development services for NESN. He then created a fake business under the same name as the new vendor, prosecutors said, using this company to receive fraudulent payments from NESN.
In total, NESN paid Legassa’s fake company over $500,000. Legassa spent the funds on personal expenses, including a private plane, a Tesla, a BMW, a Land Rover, and credit card bills, according to prosecutors. He also transferred the funds into other accounts under his control.
“Supplementing your paycheck by scamming your employer is a really bad career move,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said in a statement. “But Ariel Legassa did exactly that, taking advantage of the trust NESN placed in him to steal over $575,000 which he used to fund a lavish lifestyle. Justice demands that financial fraudsters like Legassa be held accountable for their crimes and today’s sentence ensures that he will pay for what he did with prison time and restitution.”
Three Rocky Hill firefighters were honored Monday night for their part in a rescue on the Connecticut River in March.
Emergency crews responded to Ferry Park in Rocky Hill on March 23 in response to a report of a vehicle in the river.
When they arrived, they found a woman in a Jeep about 35 feet out from the riverbank.
Crews broke a window and pulled the woman to safety after about 10 minutes, according to fire officials.
The woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Monday evening, Captain William Kelly, Captain Roberto Leone, and Lt. Travis Gerace-Hicks were awarded the fire department’s valor award for their rescue efforts.
ROCKY HILL — A man from South Carolina is facing charges after cutting down light poles along the highway in Rocky Hill, Connecticut State Police said.
Lamont Carlson Tucker, 62, of Myrtle Beach, is charged with first-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree larceny, police said.
Police said troopers responded to reports of “an individual cutting light poles” around 5 a.m. Saturday.
Tucker was released on a $3,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in New Britain June 12, police said.
The North Haven Police Department is continuing to investigate after a male was shot while riding a moped on Sunday night.
According to police, a 20-year-old male was shot in the area of Whitney Avenue near the Hamden town line.
The victim sustained non-life-threatening serious injuries and was transported to the hospital.
No other information has been released.
Police are continuing to investigate, and say that there will be a heavy police presence in the area of Whitney Avenue and Skiff Street.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Haven Police Department.
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