A trio of executive officers associated with the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Corp. (CMEEC) were found guilty of an offense related to the theft of federal funds.
CMEEC is a cooperative public corporation that permits municipal electric utilities in Connecticut to join together to furnish electric power in the municipalities”™ areas of operation. CMEEC”™s Fairfield County members include the Second Taxing District of the City of Norwalk and the Third Taxing District of the City of Norwalk.
A federal jury found former CMEEC CEO Drew Rankin, former CMEEC Board Chairman James Sullivan and John Bilda, former City of Norwich representative on the CMEEC board of directors, guilty of channeling federal funding designated for CMEEC operations for lavish vacations outside of Connecticut, including trips to the Kentucky Derby in 2015 and 2016 and to a luxury golf resort in West Virginia in 2015. The trips, which had no connection to CMEEC business, totaled more than $800,000 in travel expenses, private chartered airfare, first-class hotel accommodations, meals, tickets to sporting events, golf fees, souvenirs and gifts.
In November 2018, a grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda with one count of conspiracy and three counts of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds. The jury found Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda guilty of one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, and not guilty of conspiracy and a second count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
Rankin, Sullivan and Bilda face a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. A sentencing date is not scheduled.
