NORWICH, Conn. — The former head of Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Corporation (“CMEEC”), which supplies power to several towns in the Norwich area, has been sentenced to prison for misusing funds on expensive trips including two to the Kentucky Derby.
Drew Rankin, 62, the former chief executive officer of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Corporation (“CMEEC”), was sentenced Tuesday by to 12 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for misusing CMEEC funds.
On Wednesday, James Sullivan, 56, former chairperson of CMEEC, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for misusing CMEEC funds.
On Thursday, John Bilda, 59, City of Norwich representative on the CMEEC Board of Directors, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for misusing CMEEC funds.
CMEEC supplies power to Norwich, Groton, Jewett City, parts of Norwalk, and Bozrah. The municipalities agreement in the cooperative outlined excess revenues, designated as “CMEEC Margin,” and those revenues would be returned to the member towns to help keep electricity costs stable for ratepayers.
Between 2010 and 2015, CMEEC received more than $9 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy. CMEEC member towns also received funds from federal grants.
In a trial in 2021, Rankin and certain members of the CMEEC Board of Directors planned, organized, and directed lavish trips outside of Connecticut, including trips to the Kentucky Derby in 2015 and 2016, and to a luxury golf resort in West Virginia in 2015. Prosecutors said these trips did not relate to CMEEC business, but were meant to personally benefit, compensate and reward Rankin, CMEEC Board members, their family members, friends, and associates. Costs for the trips, which totaled more than $800,000, included travel expenses, private chartered airfare, first-class hotel accommodations, meals, tickets to sporting events, golf fees, souvenirs, and gifts said prosecutors
In response to inquiries from the Norwich Bulletin about the Kentucky Derby and golf trips, Rankin underreported the costs of the trips, omitted the names of attendees who were not CMEEC employees or board members and made other false statements related to how the trips were funded. After the trips were known to the general public, CMEEC canceled a reservation it had made for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, and was refunded only approximately $90,000 of the $298,960 it had prepaid for the trip in May 2016.
Officials said restitution will be determined after additional court proceedings.
On December 10, 2021, a jury found the three men guilty of one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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