HARTFORD — Two people were indicted Wednesday on conspiracy and fraud related charged, stemming from the City of Hartford’s efforts to revitalize Dillon Stadium and bring a professional soccer team to the city.
Mitchell Anderson, 51, of Avon, and James Duckett, 44, of Somers are facing several charges, District Attorney Dierdre Daly said in a statement Thursday.
Soccer lovers had thought they’d see a 15,000-seat soccer venue in place of Dillon Stadium in the coming years, but Hartford councilors officially canceled those plans in October 2015. The move followed revelations that the person who would be manning the redevelopment, James Duckett, head of Black Diamond Consulting Group, had a past criminal conviction for embezzlement.
According to their indictment, in September 2014, Hartford entered into a professional services agreement with Anderson’s company, Premier Sports Management Group, or PSMG, to secure a professional soccer team and to develop a new, 9,000 seat facility at the Dillon Stadium location in Hartford. Under the terms of the agreement, PSMG was entitled to receive $775,000 for serving as the project manager for the $12 million plan. In February 2015, Anderson joined with Duckett, who agreed to be the majority owner of the professional soccer team. The pair represented to city officials that PSMG and Duckett’s Black Diamond Consulting Group had merged to complete the Dillon Stadium project and secure the professional soccer team, according to the DA’s office.
The indictment alleges that, beginning in March 2015, the pair submitted invoices to the city for reimbursement to PSMG subcontractors working on the project. But, instead of paying the total amounts owed to the subcontractors, Anderson and Duckett directed hundreds of thousands of dollars to themselves and to other entities not related to the Dillon Stadium project. They’re also accused of inflating invoices submitted to the city.
Both men are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The indictment also charges Anderson with four counts of mail fraud, and both defendants with multiple counts of wire fraud and conducting illegal monetary transactions.
Anderson was arrested Thursday morning at his home. He appeared in front of a judge in New Haven and was released on bond. Duckett surrendered to the FBI in Las Vegas and is expected to appear in federal court there Friday.
If convicted of the conspiracy, mail and wire fraud counts, the defendants face a maximum term of 20 years in prison on each count. If convicted of conducting illegal monetary transactions, the defendants face a maximum term of 10 years in prison on each count.
