Report details alleged failures by Bethany first selectman, state police amid sex assault investigation

A new report details the failings of the Town of Bethany's first selectman, its Parks and Recreation director, and state police prior to the arrest of a town employee accused of sexually assaulting five girls at summer camps or after-school programs.

Anthony Mastrangelo was first arrested in May 2024 and charged with sexually assaulting one victim. He was arrested a month later and charged with the sexual assault of four other victims.

According to the independent report by the law firm Pullman & Comley, allegations against Mastrangelo were first made in December 2022 and the Department of Children and Families began investigating those allegations.

At the time, Mastrangelo held part-time postitions with the Bethany Board of Education at the Bethany Community School, and also with the Parks and Recreation department.

Upon learning of the allegations against Mastrangelo in late December 2022, Bethany's school superintendent immediately terminated him from his job at the school and notified First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco and the director of Parks and Recreation, the report stated.

Despite having the power to hire or fire town employees, Cofrancesco did not terminate Mastrangelo from his part-time position with the Parks and Recreation Department, according to the report. The first selectman failed to interview him or conduct any investigation of her own into the allegations, according to the report. She also did not seek guidance from any other selectman, town counsel, or inform the public about the ongoing investigation into Mastrangelo. The authors of the report said Cofrancesco was close with Mastrangelo's family and that may have played a role in her inaction, the report stated.

Cofrancesco told investigators that she was unaware of the nature of the allegations against Mastrangelo, something the investigators said was disproved by witness statements.

Mastrangelo was terminated in June 2023 after DCF informed Cofrancesco and the town that is was able to confirm at least two of the allegations against him, but Cofrancesco still failed to make the allegations public, according to the report.

NBC Connecticut reached out to Cofrancesco about the report but we have not yet heard back from her.

The report also laid blame on state police and their investigation into the allegations against Mastrangelo.

State police had developed probable cause to arrest Mastrangelo in connection to the first victim by mid-January, and probable cause to arrest him related to three more victims by the end of March, according to the report.

Mastrangelo wasn't arrested until May 2024. The report's authors called delay in arrested Mastrangelo "seemingly inexplicable" and they attempted to get the state police files on him, but were denied.

The failure of the state police to seek arrest warrants for Mastrangelo in 2023, combined with the first selectman's failure to notify the public of the ongoing investigations "likely allowed Mastrangelo to commit a fifth alleged assault of a child in the spring of 2024," according to the report.

Connecticut State Police Commanding Officer Colonel Daniel Loughman released a statement about the report on Friday:

We appreciate and recognize the work of Pullman and Comley into the Town of Bethany's response to the alleged sexual assaults in 2023 and 2024. We believe the report highlighted the inaccurate public assertions that Bethany First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco claimed she was in constant contact with the Connecticut State Police in regard to the ongoing sexual assault investigation or that First Selectman Cofrancesco demanded answers from the Connecticut State Police regarding the investigation prior to May 2024. The report accurately reflects that First Selectman Cofrancesco never sought a meeting with the Connecticut State Police at any point after May 2024. We agree with Pullman and Comley's conclusion that "the first Selectman failed to 1) terminate Mastrangelo's employment; 2) notify the community […] of alleged assaults by a Town employee."

Additionally, we thank Pullman and Comley for outlining the immediate action of Troopers upon the first allegation of sexual assault in December 2022, including the interviews of the parents of the victims and the scheduling of forensic interviews with victims.

The men and women of the Connecticut State Police are committed to accurate and timelyinvestigations. Each investigation is unique with investigative steps that must be followed in order to assure the victims' rights are protected, and any suspect is fully investigated and thoroughly prosecuted. We work in collaboration with local, state, and public health agencies during these complex types of cases. During the entirety of this case, Troopers maintained regular and ongoing communication with the State's Attorney's Office for the Judicial District of New Haven to work toward a complete and accurate investigation.

As disturbing as the allegations are against the defendant, we have a duty to the judicial process; this includes refraining from discussing the investigation to protect the integrity of the court proceedings while prosecution is pending and the criminal case is adjudicated.

Mastrangelo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last year, Mastrangelo’s attorney, Ray Hassett, told NBC Connecticut, “We feel that many of the charges against him have been exaggerated and now are being politicized. Given the facts in this case, we are confident that the narrative will change, and his innocence will prevail.”