Arrested Derby Official’s Ex-Boss Speaks Out

FILE PHOTOThe ex-boss of a Derby official accused of embezzling money said he was floored when he discovered who was allegedly stealing money from his company.

He worked for us for 21 years. During that time, he was a trusted employee and a friend. I felt like my heart was ripped out, quite honestly. It was totally unexpected.”

Those were the words Monday of Robert Oetjen, the president of the M & O Corp. in Bridgeport.

Oetjen’s former senior sales manager, Frank Lazowski, Sr., was charged Friday with first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and second-degree forgery in connection to a scheme that drained the HVAC contracting company of at least $40,000.

Lazowski is an active Democrat in the city and a member of the Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation. An e‑mail seeking comment was sent to Lazowski Monday afternoon.

In addition to the criminal case lodged against Lazowski by Bridgeport detectives, the longtime Derby resident also has a civil lawsuit pending against him by his former employer.

Selected pages from that lawsuit are listed at the bottom of this story.

In that civil case, M & O Corp. officials accuse Lazowski of stealing at least $150,000. The criminal case is for a smaller amount because the statue of limitations ran out, Oetjen said.

Lazowski worked for Oetjen’s company from January 1988 until he resigned in February 2010. He made more than $100,000 in his last few years, Oetjen said, making him the highest paid staffer in the company.

Oetjen said the company first learned about the crime after Lazowski resigned.

Lazowski had supervised a large HVAC job valued at some $200,000. Oetjen said company officials saw a purchase order to a supplier named Ronald Reinhart.

There was a problem — the order was for equipment not needed on the job, Oetjen said.

Reinhart gave vague answers when confronted, Oetjen said. That caused company officials to delve deeper into Lazowski’s records.

We had uncovered over $80,000 of such transactions,” Oetjen said. When we confronted Mr. Reinhart and the supply house where he was working, he admitted he had been in collusion with Frank, that he received purchase orders and that Frank told him how to disperse the money.”

The matter was turned over to Bridgeport police in late March, Oetjen said.

According to the civil case, Reinhart submitted multiple invoices to M & O Corp. for equipment paid for but never received by the company. Lazowski would approve the payments, then divide the money with Reinhart, with the lion’s share going to Lazowski.”

Oetjen said Reinhart used checks to pay Lazowski, which provided evidence of the crime. He also said the company has faxes Lazowski sent to Reinhart about the scheme. The items have been turned over to Bridgeport detectives.

Bridgeport police did not return a call for comment.

Oetjen suspects Lazowski had been stealing from the company since the late 1990s.

In the civil case, the company is going after Lazowski’s Derby house, along with his bank account and other assets.

Oetjen said his company has been hit hard by the national recession. Lazowski’s alleged thefts made things that much worse.

People were laid off. Maybe if we had those resources they might not have been laid off,” Oetjen said.

Derby officials — including Mayor Anthony Staffieri, Aldermanic President Ken Hughes, and tax board member Anita Duggato — did not return messages Monday.

Tax board chairman Judy Szewczyk in an e‑mail message, said she expected Lazowski to resign over the matter.

It’s always sad to find out something like this issue about someone you know, but Derby residents really don’t have any reason to be super concerned; no single BOAT member has much power on their own,” Szewczyk wrote.

On its website Friday, the Valley Gazette quoted Staffieri as saying: I’m shocked and surprised that Frank would do something like this. He’s an elected official. It’s troubling for the city.”

Lazowski was appointed to the tax board in April 2009 to finish the term of Karen Getlein. He was elected to a full, two-year term in November, receiving 1,643 votes.

He is active in local politics. During the formation of this year’s school budget, he was one of the only non-school board members to attend early budget meetings.

After being elected to the tax board, Lazowski asked the Valley Independent Sentinel to list his e‑mail address in case residents had any questions about Derby’s finances.

Lazowski Civil Suit

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