Probation Set for CT Man's Role in Campaign Finance Scheme

Written by Paul Singley 

Naugatuck resident Harry "Ray" Soucy was sentenced to three years probation Monday for his role in a scheme to funnel illegal campaign contributions to former Connecticut House Speaker Chris Donovan's failed congressional campaign.

Soucy, 61, must spend the first six months of his probation in a halfway house. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven also ordered Soucy to pay a $5,000 fine.

A press release from Deidre M. Daly, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, Soucy was an associate of Roll Your Own tobacco shop owners who feared that Connecticut would enact harmful legislation to those businesses by enforcing a tax on cigarettes that they rolled by themselves in the roll your own stores. 

Soucy and others pleaded guilty to providing a total of $24,000 in illegal campaign contributions to Donovan's congressional campaign in hopes that he would help kill the proposed legislation.
       
According to court documents and statements made in court, in August 2011, the State of Connecticut applied for a court order enjoining Roll Your Own (“RYO”) smoke shops from continuing to operate without complying with state law governing tobacco manufacturers.  RYO smoke shops are retail businesses that sell loose smoking tobacco and cigarette-rolling materials and offer customers the option of paying a “rental” fee to insert the loose tobacco and the rolling materials into a RYO machine, which is capable of rapidly rolling large quantities of cigarettes.  Customers did not pay a tax on the RYO cigarettes when rolled by the RYO machines, in contrast to cigarettes purchased over-the-counter.

Background

The following information comes directly from a news release issued Monday by the U.S. Attorney's Office:

As part of the scheme, the co-conspirators recruited multiple individuals to serve as conduit contributors to the campaign.  These individuals permitted checks to be written in their own names to the campaign and were then reimbursed with cash, thereby concealing the fact that RYO smoke shop owners were contributing to the campaign.

In November and December 2011, participants in the scheme made four $2,500 conduit contributions to the Chris Donovan for Congress campaign.  On approximately Jan. 31, 2012, the campaign submitted to the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) a report of campaign committee’s receipts and disbursements for the period Oct. 1, 2011 through Dec. 31, 2011. The report falsely stated the source and amount of the four $2,500 contributions that were received and deposited by the campaign committee during that time period.

In late March 2012, Soucy, a former state union employee who worked n the prison system, was approached by investigators and began cooperating with the investigation. With his assistance, the RYO owners directed an additional $17,500 in conduit contributions to the Donovan for Congress campaign, as well as a conduit contribution in the amount of $2,500 to a political party.

On July 24, 2012, Soucy waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud deprivation of honest services, and one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the FEC and to defraud the United States.

Seven others, including two employees of the Donovan for Congress campaign, have also been convicted of charges stemming from the scheme.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher M. Mattei and Eric J. Glover.

From the Archives

• Second Co-Conspirator Named in Donovan Campaign Finance Probe

• Middlebury Man Charged In Illegal Federal Campaign Contribution Scheme

• Middlebury Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme

• Middlebury Man Admits to Illegal Campaign Contributions