Middlebury Man Sentenced In Campaign Contribution Scheme

Middlebury resident David Moffa, 53, was sentenced to two years in prison and one year of supervised release for his role in a scheme to funnel illegal contributions to former State Rep. Christopher Donovan’s 2012 campaign for the 5th Congressional District.

Moffa, a former president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, worked with others close to the Donovan campaign to covertly channel funds in return for blocking legislation that would tax cigarettes rolled in Roll-Your-Own shops throughout the state.  

According to acting U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly and FBI Special Agent Kimberly Mertz, an investigation showed that Moffa met with two Roll-Your-Own smoke shop owners at Smoke House Tobacco in Waterbury in November 2011, stating that he, and later Harry “Ray” Soucy and Benjamin Hogan, would be able to prevent potentially harmful legislation through Donovan’s influence as Speaker of the House.

Moffa and Soucy met with the shop owners again later that month and told them to make a $5,000 contribution to Donovan’s congressional campaign, siphoned through Moffa to conceal their identities.

A Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign report filed at the end of January 2012 included a $2,500 contribution from Moffa’s wife, which was later found to be fraudulent, as neither Moffa nor his wife made any legitimate contributions to the campaign.

Moffa pleaded ‘guilty’ to one count of conspiracy to make false statement to the FEC and impede the FEC’s enforcement of federal campaign finance law. In addition to time served and probation, he was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Soucy, Hogan, shop owners Paul Rogers and George Tirado, Waterbury business owner Daniel Monteiro and Donovan for Congress campaign manager Joshua Nassi also pleaded ‘guilty’ to charges related to this scheme and await sentencing.  

Robert Braddock, Jr., the campaign’s finance director, was also found guilty of one count of conspiring to make false statements to the FEC and to impede the function of the FEC, one count of accepting more than $10,000 in federal campaign contributions made by persons in the names of others and one count of causing a false report to be filed with the FEC. He also awaits sentencing.