ANSONIA – The law firm that squashed former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart’s gubernatorial aspirations is now being asked to open a wide-ranging investigation into former Mayor David Cassetti’s administration.
Part of the investigation stems from a city-issued credit card allegedly used for purchases that “were clearly non-municipal in nature,” said Javier Varas, Mayor Frank Tyszka’s new chief of staff.
“These allegations are serious. They involve potential misuse of public assets, possible violations of city policy, and possible violations of state law,” Tyszka wrote in a May 22 memo to the Board of Aldermen.
The Aldermen are scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Wednesday (May 27) to ask the Crumbie Law firm to investigate.
Tyszka’s memo says the scope of the investigation will include:
- “Possible personal use of city credit cards or purchasing authority
- Possible misuse of city vehicles and fuel purchases
- Possible improper use of City Hall or other city facilities for political activity during work hours
- Any other related conduct that may involve violation of City policy, ethics rules, or laws of the State of Connecticut.”
The memo does not mention Cassetti by name, but says there are allegations against “certain officials and employees prior to Dec. 1, 2025.”
Tyszka took office Dec. 1 after defeating Cassetti in the election the month before.
Cassetti Responds
Cassetti told The Valley Indy he welcomes the investigation because it will find he did nothing wrong.
“Nothing was done illegally, that I guarantee you. So what I’m saying is, I think (Mayor Tyszka) should pay out of his own pocket for this attorney after the results come out,” Cassetti wrote in a text message.
He said Tyszka has an axe to grind with him over a political feud.
“He has an ax to grind with me because he was on the police commission, and you could confirm that, and I (threw) him off,” Cassetti said.
Regarding city credit card spending, Cassetti said his Amazon account had a city credit card attached to it, along with his personal credit cards.
Cassetti said when he mistakenly paid for a personal Amazon purchase with the city’s credit card, he paid the city back.
“If I ordered something personally (and) the city was charged for it, Franny (Jesulaitis) and Kim (DeStefano) would come down and say ‘Mayor, this is not ours,’ and I would pay them,” Cassetti said, noting he had six or seven credit cards attached to his Amazon account.
Jesulaitis and DeStefano are employees in the city’s finance department.
“There’s no law broken there,” Cassetti said.
John Marini, the city’s former corporation counsel under Cassetti, declined comment.
A message seeking comment was left with Ansonia Republican Town Committee Chairman Tony Mammone.
The Scope
The scope of the investigation mirrors accusations previously made by city Democrats against Cassetti, a Republican, while he was in office.
For example, last year, Ansonia Democrats posted on Facebook a photo of Cassetti’s daughter next to a city-owned vehicle and what appeared to be a baseball stadium.
Also last year, in an elections complaint submitted by former Democratic Party chairman Dave Hannon, former “Team Cassetti” staffer Greg Martin alleged that he had been told to create mailers for Republican political campaigns while working in city hall between 2017 and 2021.
The state elections enforcement unit has not issued a decision in response to that complaint, according to a search of their database.
The Firm
The Crumbie Law Group is the law firm that was hired by current New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez to look into spending under Stewart, his predecessor. The report allegedly uncovered Stewart “had racked up $123,018 in expenses from June 2016 to November 2025 that had no supporting documentation to justify them,” according to The New York Times.
Stewart dropped out of the governor’s race after the report was made public. It is not clear how much the investigations cost the City of New Britain.
Varas said the rates for the investigation are currently being negotiated and declined to share a cost estimate.
The Triggers: FOI Request & Public Input
Tyszka said at a public meeting in February that the city would investigate the use of city credit cards and city-owned vehicles while Cassetti was in office.
However, there were no updates on the investigation until The Valley Indy submitted a freedom of information request May 13, asking for records of Mayor Cassetti’s credit card use while in office.
Though the request has not been fulfilled, it apparently jump-started the city’s query.
“The more documents that have been uncovered the more serious it becomes,” said Varas.
Varas said the corporation counsel would be issuing a “partial response soon” to The Valley Indy’s records request.
The memo also cites reports from citizens alleging city resources were misused.
Resolution Describes Investigative Path
The resolution to be considered by the Aldermen Wednesday authorizes investigators to interview past and present city staff as well as review city documents and records. It instructs city staff to comply with the investigators’ requests.
The investigators are then supposed to report their findings to the offices of the mayor and corporation counsel.
It also says investigators may refer their findings to law enforcement, if they determine it’s needed.
“The investigator may, if warranted, recommend corrective action, disciplinary action, policy changes, restitution, or referral to law enforcement or other appropriate authorities,” the resolution says.
The Aldermen are also supposed to approve a budget at their May 27 meeting. Tyszka has said repeatedly he inherited a fiscal mess due to Cassetti-era budget practices.