State Rep. Michael DiMassa resigns from General Assembly after federal charges that he stole more than $600,000 in COVID relief funds
State Rep. Michael DiMassa, the West Haven Democrat who was arrested on federal charges last week in a still-unfolding probe of the alleged theft of more than $600,000 in federal COVID relief funds, resigned Monday from the state legislature.
DiMassa, 30, submitted an official letter of resignation to the Secretary of the State’s office, said Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesman for the office. No resignations are official until the proper paperwork is filed with the state’s chief elections official.
State legislators had expected DiMassa to resign as early as last week.
DiMassa had also resigned from his city job at West Haven city hall in connection with the theft of more than $630,000 in federal money that had been earmarked in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.
DiMassa is accused of of stealing more than $600,000 in federal COVID relief money by billing the city of West Haven, where he also worked as an aide to the city council, for pandemic-related consulting services that federal officials said he never performed.
Federal prosecutors and FBI agents say that a portion of the alleged thefts appear to correspond with DiMassa’s purchase of tens of thousands of dollars in gambling chips at the Mohegan Sun casino. At the time, he was one of three city officials authorized to oversee emergency pandemic spending.
“The allegations against Mike DiMassa are serious and very troubling. If the allegations are true, he has not only broken the law but also betrayed the public trust,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “He had no choice but to resign. The citizens of West Haven and all of Connecticut deserve honest government.”
In a joint statement, House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford and Majority Leader Jason Rojas of East Hartford called the resignation “the right move for his constituents and the state.”
“He broke faith with the people of West Haven and can no longer serve as their trusted voice at the State Capitol,” they said.
A six-page FBI affidavit outlined multiple deposits to a consulting firm run by DiMassa, and then cash withdrawals under the $10,000 threshold that invites scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service. DiMassa made multiple withdrawals of $9,800. The affidavit also showed that he purchased tens of thousands of dollars in gambling chips at the Mohegan Sun casino.
“Michael DiMassa did the right thing by resigning from office,” said Connecticut state Democratic Party chairwoman Nancy DiNardo. “The allegations against him are beyond troubling, and the voters of West Haven deserve to be represented by someone who recognizes the differences between right and wrong.”
Soon after DiMassa’s arrest, state Senate Republican leaders called on Lamont to initiate a statewide audit of all COVID-19 funds. They said that all 169 cities and towns should be audited to restore public confidence that the federal money is being used for proper expenses. They called upon Lamont’s budget office to oversee the audits of the federal money.
Lamont’s budget director, Melissa McCaw, responded that the state Office of Policy and Management, known as OPM, is already investigating the use of the public money and bringing in an independent auditor to examine the spending. All cities and towns were required to report their spending by Oct. 22 to the budget office.
McCaw said that municipal leaders “have been routinely cautioned that their use of funds must meet the highest standards and withstand audit.”
The West Haven City Council late last year authorized Democratic Mayor Nancy Rossi and her two designees — one of whom was DiMassa — to make decisions on how to spend the $1.2 million in federal COVID funds and to account for the spending. Not long after, DiMassa appeared on an email chain authorizing COVID-related spending.
DiMassa made headlines in September 2017 when he announced that he would not accept his legislative salary of $28,000 per year until the state reached a budget deal. The budget was eventually signed that year on Halloween.
First elected in November 2016, DiMassa had served on the budget-writing appropriations committee, as well as serving on the judiciary and executive nominations committees.
A special election will be held to fill his seat for the remainder of his two-year term, but no date has been set.
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
