Name: Former Republican lawyer accused of stealing campaign funds faces dozens of new felony forgery, identity theft charges related to divorce cases
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Former Republican lawyer accused of stealing campaign funds faces dozens of new felony forgery, identity theft charges related to divorce cases

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AdvertisementBy HartfordSep 25, 2020 at 8:03 pmThe Avon attorney accused last year of stealing state Senate Republican campaign funds was arrested again Thursday on dozens of felony forgery and identity theft charges in connection with financial documents related to his divorces from his two previous wives.Michael J. Cronin, 57, was charged with 26 counts of second-degree forgery and 12 counts of third-degree identity theft involving a series of real estate, refinancing and affidavit documents that were part of both divorce cases.AdvertisementHe was arrested by inspectors from the Division of Criminal Justice and appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday, where he was ordered held on $200,000 bond.The charges stem from a series of tips inspectors received after they charged Cronin in February 2019 with first-degree larceny for allegedly stealing almost $268,000 from the state Senate Republican campaign fund that he oversaw as treasurer for more than a decade.AdvertisementA month later, new court records show, an attorney representing Cronin’s first wife notified investigators that they believed they had discovered evidence of mortgage fraud and forgery connected to the couple’s West Hartford home, where she continued to live after they separated in May 2014.The ex-wife was originally tipped off when she received a notice from the Internal Revenue Service of a so-called “cancellation of debt” form for the tax year 2018 that showed more than $135,000 in debt under Michael Cronin’s name had been forgiven by a Houston-based creditor she did not recognize, according to an arrest warrant affidavit released Thursday evening.She enlisted the help of Glastonbury attorney Raymond Hassett to dig into the notice, and he later discovered Michael Cronin had filed a quit claim deed for the West Hartford home, conveying his interest in the house to his ex-wife, court records show. The deed paperwork bore a version of her signature, but she told investigators that she never signed such a document.The forms also contained the signatures of two supposed witnesses and another attorney’s notarization. All three were former coworkers of Cronin’s with the state Senate Republicans’ office, but none of them had actually signed the paperwork, they later told investigators.In April 2019, Hassett obtained documents from the Houston creditor that appeared on the IRS form and discovered that firm, Selene Finance, LP, had been party to a loan modification agreement for the mortgage on the West Hartford home, according to the affidavit. Those documents even described the couple as married.But again, Cronin’s ex-wife and would-be notarizer said they never actually signed those forms.In August 2019, state’s attorney’s office investigators presented the signatures to Cronin during a voluntary, recorded interview.“Mr. Cronin, document by document, admitted that he had signed the signature name of Jean Cronin to each of the documents, without her consent or permission,” according to the affidavit.AdvertisementCronin was “very cooperative” and told investigators his ex-wife had tasked him with resolving the foreclosure actions on the house they previously shared, court records show. She did not prepare or sign the documents herself, but she was “in a general sense” aware of the foreclosure activities, he told investigators.But that same month, unbeknownst to investigators at the time, Cronin was confronted by another attorney over another forged signature.David Denvir, general counsel for Companions and Homemakers, was alerted by staff at the company that Cronin, then an employee there, had signed Denvir’s name to a financial affidavit related to Cronin’s divorce from his second wife, court records show. Denvir confronted Cronin a few days later, and Cronin admitted to the forgery and apologized before he was fired from the company, Denvir told investigators.“You gave me a shot when no one else would. And I repay you with a foolish breach of trust and ethics,” Cronin wrote in an apology letter to Denvir that he later provided to investigators. “There is no excuse. There is no explanation except trying to take a short cut to get my son to be ex off my back.”Denvir promptly filed a grievance with the judicial system over Cronin’s actions, and a panel found late last year that Cronin did violate attorney conduct rules.As it happensGet the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut &gt; At the same time, investigators found another 13 “questionable signatures” on various other documents, none of which Cronin’s ex-wife signed herself, she and her attorney told investigators.AdvertisementIn February, investigators again confronted Cronin about the new set of allegedly forged signatures. He again admitted to signing his ex-wife’s name on the documents but said he only did it because she had been uncooperative and was “relying on him to resolve the issues,” he told investigators.Attempts to reach Cronin’s attorney Thursday evening were unsuccessful.The new allegations shed light on the financial troubles the otherwise under-the-radar, longtime political staffer had leading up to the past 18 months, when investigators revealed the accusations he had stolen from the Senate Republican Leadership Fund. Investigators concluded Cronin directed money from the fund into his own pocket by taking cash back during deposits, moving funds to his personal accounts and wiring money from the fund for personal purchases.Although Cronin admitted during the investigation that he stole from the fund, he pleaded not guilty to that larceny charge last year. He told investigators he needed the money to support his lifestyle and children, including one who is in college.Inspector Jack Bannan, who led the first investigation with Inspector Mark Puglielli, also authored the arrest warrant applications bringing the new forgery and identity theft charges against Cronin this week. The Statewide Prosecution Bureau of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office is leading all of the cases in court.Zach Murdock can be reached at . Advertisement

AdvertisementBy HartfordSep 25, 2020 at 8:03 pmThe Avon attorney accused last year of stealing state Senate Republican campaign funds was arrested again Thursday on dozens of felony forgery and identity theft charges in connection with financial documents related to his divorces from his two previous wives.Michael J. Cronin, 57, was charged with 26 counts of second-degree forgery and 12 counts of third-degree identity theft involving a series of real estate, refinancing and affidavit documents that were part of both divorce cases.AdvertisementHe was arrested by inspectors from the Division...

Former Republican lawyer accused of stealing campaign funds faces dozens of new felony forgery, identity theft charges related to divorce cases

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