The Town of Oxford plans to file a civil lawsuit to recoup money allegedly misappropriated by former tax collector Karen Guillet, First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers announced Tuesday.
Guillet wasn’t immediately available to comment Tuesday. She has denied the accusations.
“Today I have also ordered Town Counsel to file claims against the former Tax Collector’s assets,” Drayton-Rogers said during a Selectmen meeting in Town Hall. “This action is mandated as discrepancies in excess of one-half million dollars ($500,000) are in question.”
Click the video to see her full statement.
The town has been investigating missing money from the tax collector’s office since December 2009. Guillet was placed on sick leave in January. She later resigned.
The civil case would be separate from the criminal complaint from the town now under review by state police.
The civil lawsuit is expected to be filed in Milford court sometime this week. The announcement marks the first time the town has indicated how much money may have been missing — more than $500,000.
Meanwhile, state police investigators are scheduled to meet with representatives from the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office next week, Drayton-Rogers said.
State police said the criminal investigation is ongoing.
“There are no arrests anticipated for some time,” said state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance.
Vance said the investigation will take some time because of the research into ledgers and accounting that needs to be done.
“This is a very complicated, in-depth investigation,” Vance said. “There’s a lot of work that has to go into this.”
“We’re not anywhere near ready to move forward.”
Oxford Town Counsel Francis Teodosio said civil cases have a different burden of proof than criminal cases.
While criminal cases must reach beyond a reasonable doubt, the burden of proof in civil cases is the proponderance of the evidence.
