Mitchell Anderson, 53, of Bradenton, Florida — formerly of Avon, Connecticut — has been sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a brazen fraud scheme that bled $1.1 million from the City of Hartford’s plan to rebuild Dillon Stadium and launch a professional soccer franchise. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the sentence in Bridgeport today, marking the latest fallout from a scam that exploited public trust and taxpayer funds for personal luxury.
Anderson, through his company Premier Sports Management Group (PSMG), entered a $775,000 contract with the city in September 2014 as project manager for the $12 million stadium redevelopment. By February 2015, he partnered with co-defendant James C. Duckett, Jr., who falsely claimed to be a former NFL player and presented his Black Diamond Consulting Group as a powerhouse involved in high-profile casino and sports ventures in Las Vegas and Atlanta. The duo told city officials the two firms had merged to deliver the project — a lie that paved the way for theft.
Starting in March 2015, Anderson submitted fraudulent invoices to Hartford for work allegedly done by PSMG subcontractors. In reality, more than $1 million funneled to PSMG was diverted to Anderson, Duckett, and shell entities with no connection to the stadium. They forged paperwork from vendors who never performed services, then laundered the stolen funds through a web of bank transactions to cover unrelated expenses — a textbook case of public fraud.
Duckett used city money to buy a $120,000 Range Rover, pay personal legal bills, shell out a $20,000 “finder’s fee,” and splurge on luxury clothing and jewelry. Meanwhile, the Dillon Stadium project collapsed, the promised soccer team never materialized, and Hartford taxpayers were left holding the bag. The fraud unraveled only after federal investigators began digging into the financial trail.
Anderson pleaded guilty on February 6, 2017, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of conducting illegal monetary transactions. He was released on a $100,000 bond and must report to prison by April 8, 2018. He has agreed to pay restitution totaling over $1.1 million to the City of Hartford and two defrauded subcontractors — a sum that may never be fully recovered.
James Duckett was convicted by a jury on July 6, 2017, on multiple counts including conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. On December 6, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison. The case was investigated by the Connecticut Public Corruption Task Force — a coalition led by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation, with support from HUD-OIG, HHS-OIG, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Hartford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Karwan and Douglas Morabito prosecuted the case. Tips on public corruption can be reported to the Task Force at 2.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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