A West Hartford attorney was arrested today and charged with stealing more than $250,000 from the political action committee he oversaw as its treasurer.
MICHAEL J. CRONIN, age 56, of 85 Memorial Road, West Hartford, was arrested by Inspectors from the Division of Criminal Justice on a warrant charging him with one count of Larceny in the First Degree.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Cronin was treasurer of the Senate Republican Leadership Committee, a political action committee (PAC), from 2007 until 2018 when irregularities were detected. Subsequent investigation determined that from 2012 to 2018 Cronin took approximately $267,800 from the committee for his personal use, the warrant states.
Cronin was terminated from his position as counsel for the Senate Republican Office at the Connecticut General Assembly following the discovery of the irregularities with the PAC funds, the warrant states.
Cronin was released on a $50,000 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on February 22, 2019. The charge is merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Larceny in the First Degree is a class B felony punishable by not less than one year nor more than 20 years in prison, and a fine up to $15,000.
The case is being prosecuted by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office.