The scope of the federal grand jury investigation involving the relationship between Hartford's city treasurer and an insurance broker continues to grow, as the state has confirmed that federal prosecutors served a subpoena on two of its departments.
We already know that federal investigators served subpoenas on Hartford's city hall and board of education. They want to see everything from contracts to emails that have to do with Hybrid Insurance Group and its CEO Earl O'Garro.
Now we can add the Connecticut Insurance Department and its Department of Economic and Community Development to the list of those who got served. A spokesman for the insurance department confirmed that it received a federal subpoena related to Hybrid Insurance Group. WNPR has asked for a copy of the subpoena.
A few weeks ago, that same state insurance department announced that it had lodged a formal, 11-count complaint against Hybrid and O'Garro. That complaint is pending.
The state DECD confirmed it also got a federal subpoena -- and it sent it to WNPR.
In it, federal prosecutors asked for all information related to grants or loans Hybrid received from the DECD. You may recall that the state gave Hybrid around $100,000 to move its business to Hartford -- into the building owned city Treasurer Adam Cloud and his family.
The subpoena also asks for emails involving Hybrid, Cloud, and his brother -- Christopher Cloud. O'Garro paid Christopher Cloud's firm Camilliere, Cloud & Kennedy to be its lobbyist at the state. DECD officials say Christopher Cloud was at least one meeting with the state on Hybrid's behalf.
Adam Cloud has long denied allegations that he had anything to do with giving city business to O'Garro, who rents office space from Cloud's family and who has hired Cloud's brother as his lobbyist. Emails obtained by WNPR seem to suggest otherwise.
This all became news because O'Garro failed to pay $670,000 in insurance premiums on the city's behalf. O'Garro now apparently owes a lot of people a lot of money.
MONDAY UPDATE: Here's the insurance department subpoena.
