Howard Hammer, 45, of New Milford, walked into federal court today and admitted his role in a brutal loan-shark scheme that left a man permanently injured. Hammer pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to collect an extension of credit by extortionate means, a crime carrying up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven, seals his fate in a case that reeks of back-alley violence and financial predation.
The victim, loaned $1,500 by a shadowy lender between late December 2015 and early January 2016, was told to repay $2,000 in just four days. When he couldn’t, the pressure turned criminal. At the loan shark’s request, Hammer stepped in—not as a negotiator, but as an enforcer. Court records show he began firing off text messages laced with threats of bodily harm if the debt went unpaid. He didn’t just send them—he saved copies and forwarded the threats to the loan shark like trophies.
Hammer and the lender didn’t stop at digital intimidation. They discussed seizing the victim’s car—either as payment or punishment. The threats escalated. On January 25, 2016, the victim suffered permanent bodily injury in connection with the collection effort. The exact nature of the attack hasn’t been fully disclosed, but the outcome speaks volumes: a life altered, all over a $1,500 loan gone sideways.
Hammer’s plea exposes the toxic mechanics of underground lending where interest rates are enforced not by contracts, but by fear. The charge—conspiracy to collect credit by extortionate means—falls squarely under federal anti-loan-sharking laws designed to dismantle these violent financial rackets. Despite not being the original lender, Hammer’s actions as an enforcer made him equally culpable in the eyes of the law.
He has been locked up since his arrest on May 27, 2016, and now awaits sentencing scheduled for February 24, 2017. U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly, whose office prosecuted the case, underscored the federal commitment to crushing such predatory operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Lee Dayton is leading the prosecution, building a case that turns on Hammer’s own digital footprint—the threatening texts he saved and shared.
The investigation was a joint operation by the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, New Milford Police Department, and Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad. It’s a reminder that even in quiet towns like New Milford, the tentacles of organized financial violence can take root—and that federal and local law enforcement are watching.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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