Hartford City Councilman Larry Deutsch is calling for a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud linked to city contracts and missing insurance premiums.
Deutsch sent a one-page letter to Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane requesting the investigation.
"We must be assured there has been no criminal or wider fraudulent activity, and be certain to avoid continuation of such irregularities affecting the City," Deutsch wrote in the letter.
The controversy surrounds $670,000 in Board of Education insurance premiums paid to Hybrid Insurance; however, Hartford officials said the agency never passed that money along to the city's insurer.
Now Deutsch wants to know what happened to the money and whether any city officials may have improperly steered a contract to the company.
"We don't know where that is and obviously if it's fraudulent or diverted, it may be criminal," said Deutsch.
Hybrid Insurance is under investigation by the state departments of labor and insurance. The city's Internal Audit Commission is looking into the missing money and the relationship between the company and officials at City Hall.
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In addition to the issues with Hybrid Insurance, Deutsch is calling for a criminal investigation into allegations that taxpayer money has been improperly diverted from school and other construction projects to cover city expenses and operations.
"This should be an administration that's transparent and shares information not only with us on City Council, but the public," Deutsch said.
The Chief State's Attorneys Office declined to say whether the matters will be investigated, but a spokesman said all complaints will be reviewed and acted upon as deemed appropriate.
