ANSONIA – A Valley businessman connected to economic development efforts in Ansonia and Seymour rejected a plea offer on charges of failing to pay his employees, according to The Connecticut Post.
The Post reported that Michael Marcinek, 69, rejected a plea deal Dec. 8 that would have given him three years in jail. He could face up to 25 years on the charges if found guilty, according to the Post.
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Marcinek was arrested in May 2024, according to court documents. The arrest came after an investigation by the state Department of Labor concluded that Marcinek had failed to pay more than $200,000 to employees and contractors at AEPM International, an architectural and engineering firm headquartered in Ansonia.
AEPM International, formerly known as Fletcher Thompson, has been involved in multiple Ansonia projects in recent years, including designing the new Ansonia Senior Center on Main Street and overseeing the ongoing renovation of the Ansonia animal shelter. In Derby, he is representing St. Vincent de Paul in an effort to expand the nonprofit’s food bank on Roosevelt Drive.
Marcinek, a Seymour resident, is a former member of the Seymour Economic Development Commission. He was the chairman of the Seymour Permanent Building Committee, and he was a member of the Seymour Community Center Building Committee.
He was introduced as a key player at the 2019 ‘Ansonia State of the City’ address, telling the crowd he had 11 projects going in Ansonia. Meeting minutes from 2021 show he represented Ansonia in a presentation to the Derby Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen about a shared senior center.
AEPM International/Fletcher Thompson has seen struggles behind the scenes dating back at least a decade, according to court documents. It relocated to Ansonia after being evicted from its Bridgeport office in 2017.
A former employee who spoke with state investigators allegedly said that, after he was hired in 2015, he discovered the company had failed to pay $3.5 million in payroll taxes, in addition to unpaid 401K benefits, health insurance, and unemployment taxes. He also said the business had not paid sales taxes, and that it had no worker’s compensation policy.
In 2017, a civil case was brought against Marcinek by 14 employees who alleged he withheld about $370,000 in wages. Ten employees were later added to the complaint, with a further $300,000 claimed.
A 2019 judgment in that case required Marcinek to make $10,000 payments toward those wages. No payments had been made by May 2024, according to an arrest warrant.
Marcinek’s case has been put on the trial list, according to the Post’s reporting and the state judicial website. He is represented in the case by attorney Patrick Mullin.