Connecticut State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan (D) was arrested on Monday, June 23, for allegedly shoplifting from a Target store in Bethel, Connecticut.
According to the Bethel Police Department, this was not an isolated incident. Officers told NBC CT that store employees had previously identified Allie-Brennan in connection with “prior unreported larcenies.”
Police arrested Allie-Brennan after reviewing security footage that allegedly showed him trying to leave the store without paying for $26.69 worth of merchandise.
In a recent statement, Allie-Brennan claimed the two items in question were not scanned while he was using the self-checkout, citing an oversight amid a larger armful of purchases.
“I was in a rush to bring items to my grandmother in the hospital, the store didn’t have bags, and I was juggling multiple purchases,” he claimed in a statement. “While I do not have a record, I take full responsibility for the error and am working through the legal processes to resolve the matter quickly and respectfully.
“I respect the law and Target’s right to enforce their loss prevention policy, and I remain committed to serving my community with transparency and integrity,” Allie-Brennan added.
According to police, Allie-Brennan was issued a misdemeanor summons for sixth-degree larceny and is set to appear in court on July 1, Mediaite reported.
Meanwhile, Christopher Flanagan, a Massachusetts Democratic state representative, was arrested this week and accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars “to fund personal and political expenses,” including “psychic services.”
Flanagan, 37, of Dennis, was charged with five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsifying records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court in Boston on Friday afternoon and was released, CBS News reported.
In addition to his job as a state lawmaker, Flanagan served as the executive director of the Cape Cod Home Builders Association (HBA). According to the U.S. Attorney, that work paid him up to $81,600 last year, on top of his state compensation of $100,945.
Despite the two jobs, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley stated that Flanagan was “facing personal financial difficulty, with thousands of dollars in outstanding credit card debt, missing mortgage payments, and hundreds of dollars in bank overdraft fees.”
According to the accusation, he stole $36,000 from the HBA via five distinct wire transfers between November 2021 and January 2023.
“Today’s charges against Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan reveal an appalling breach of public trust,” Foley said in a statement posted to the DOJ website. “According to the indictment, Mr. Flanagan defrauded the very organization he was supposed to serve – allegedly funneling tens of thousands of dollars into his own pockets to pay off personal bills, buy luxury items and bankroll his political campaign.
“He allegedly stole money and then went to extraordinary lengths to cover it up, going so far as fabricating fake personas to mislead those who questioned his conduct. This alleged scheme was calculated on every level. No one is entitled to power by way of fraud, and the people of Massachusetts deserve better,” Foley added.
“The indictment of Christopher Flanagan demonstrates IRS – Criminal Investigations commitment to rooting out public corruption, at all levels of government,” said Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office.
“Flanagan not only stole from his employer to enrich himself, but also to fill the coffers of his campaign in an effort to become an elected official. Flanagan failed his constituents, who trusted in him to uphold the law, by using embezzled funds to become a State Representative and then actively obstructing the investigation into his scheme,” Larco-Ward added.