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A DiMassa business partner is arrested in a West Haven Cares Act fraud case

Connecticut Public Radio | By John Henry Smith
Published November 4, 2021 at 7:07 PM EDT
Michael DiMassa outside New Haven Federal Court.
CTMirror.org
Michael DiMassa outside New Haven Federal Court.

The U.S. Attorney's office has announced the arrest of another West Haven employee in connection with improper pandemic relief payments made by the City.

John Bernardo was arraigned Thursday in New Haven Federal Court on wire fraud charges.

The complaint says Bernardo and one time fellow former West Haven employee Michael DiMassa are principals of Compass Investment Group.

Authorities arrested DiMassa for allegedly accepting over $636,000 in Cares Act money from West Haven via Compass for pandemic relief services the company never actually performed.

Andrew Brown of the Connecticut Mirror has been reporting on this case.

On "All Things Considered," he spoke about his dealings with Bernardo, how Bernardo and DiMassa were allegedly able to extract over a half-million dollars in pandemic relief funds so easily, and if he thinks any other arrests might be coming.
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John Henry Smith
John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.
See stories by John Henry Smith

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All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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