Robert Cappelletti, former executive director of the Groton and Meriden housing authorities, pleaded not guilty to nine federal charges after his September 24 arrest, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Connecticut.
The September 22 indictment charges five counts of wire fraud and four counts of illegal monetary transactions. Cappelletti, 60, of Middlebury, was released on a $500,000 bond pending trial.
Prosecutors allege he obtained an unauthorized $16.2 million loan purportedly for a Meriden nonprofit and diverted some proceeds for personal use. They further allege he directed Groton Housing Authority funds toward payments despite the authority and its supporting nonprofit not being loan parties or guarantors, using false explanations and forged invoices.
The federal announcement identifies his Groton tenure as approximately 2016 through January 2025. These are allegations, not findings of guilt. The reviewed release gives no trial date or later outcome; this article covers the September indictment.