FBI, prosecutors investigate Rowland’s complicated car, boat transactions

FBI, prosecutors investigate Rowland’s complicated car, boat transactions Associated Press 01/09/2004

HARTFORD — The state Department of Motor Vehicles has turned over transaction records on a car and two boats owned by Gov. John G. Rowland to federal authorities investigating corruption in the governor’s administration.

The FBI and federal prosecutors are apparently interested in somewhat complex financial arrangements for the car and boats in transactions involving Vincent J. DeRosa, the state’s homeland security director and longtime Rowland friend, The Hartford Courant reported Thursday.

The car, a rebuilt 1967 Ford Mustang convertible, was given to Rowland as a birthday present in 1999 at a party at a Farmington golf course owned by the New Britain-based Tomasso Group, which is being investigated by federal authorities looking into state contracts and claims of bid rigging. Rowland sold the car in 2000.

One of the boats was a 1977 Angler, a 19-foot craft given to Rowland by his father and since sold; the other is an 18-foot Tracker boat still registered to the governor.

Rowland is facing calls for his resignation and talk of impeachment after lying about who paid for improvements to his summer cottage in Litchfield.

The governor initially insisted he paid for the work himself, but admitted last month that state contractors including Tomasso, state employees and friends gave improvements to the cottage as gifts.

Federal authorities this week subpoenaed personal financial documents of Rowland, who in a televised speech Wednesday asked the public for another chance to lead the state and denied returning favors to the people who gave him gifts. The DMV immediately turned over all registration and sale documents related to the car and two boats to federal authorities on Wednesday, DMV spokesman William Seymour said.

All the transactions were handled by DeRosa through his private business, Litchfield County Marine and Auto, DMV records show. DeRosa did not return calls seeking comment. Although the Mustang was a present on his 42nd birthday, Rowland said last year that he decided to pay for the car himself after learning about a fund-raising effort toward the gift and asking that it be stopped.

Even though the Mustang was not drivable on Rowland’s birthday, DMV records show that DeRosa already had drafted a bill of sale indicating that Rowland bought the car for $24,000 on June 17, 1999. That same document, signed by Rowland, states that the governor gave DeRosa an $8,000 deposit. But Rowland did not actually pay DeRosa until five months later, in October 1999, when he wrote two checks totaling $22,000, not the full $24,000, the Courant reported. Those checks were written days after he took out a $25,000 bank loan.

Rowland registered the Mustang on July 29, 1999. Later that year, DMV documents show, he transferred ownership of the Angler to DeRosa, apparently as a trade-in for the Tracker boat, which he bought on April 11, 2000.

The day before, DMV records show, Rowland had sold the Mustang for $22,000 to Steve Wilson of Berlin, a Rowland campaign contributor who owns a software company.

Rowland has said he decided to sell the Mustang because he needed a boat to take his children fishing.

Rank	Location	Receipts	Donors/Avg	Freepers/Avg	Monthlies
59	Netherlands	20.00	1	20.00	12	1.67

They've all made their noises about it already, and have 'tipped their hands'. If all the dems and THREE repubs vote for impeachment then it will be done. Previously, rowland was just a WITNESS IN the Federal probe into everything; BUT they've now upgraded him to SUBJECT OF.

IMO: the state people (dems & repubs) are going to make lots more noise and go ahead with impeachment hearings which will take up all their time and interfere with state business - even though their minds may be made up they'll have to deliberate over all the evidence and testimonies which will chew up time. The last thing they'll want to do is real work when they have an opportunity to sit back on cruise control through impeachment hearings when state reps have already said how they feel about it. and we have a democrat majority and at least three repubs said they would vote for it.
Meanwhile, rowland will still be doing his bit and causing more state damage. The Feds are going through with their probe regardless of state business and with no impact on things.

T'would be better if the state people held-off until the Feds finished their probe and indictments before starting impeachment hearings - so they can be about the state's business (for a change) and combat any last-minute-before-indictment stuff rowland does. Even if he's kicked out the Leutenant Governor will step in (so there'll still be a republican in office) - it isn't like California where they'd have to hold elections (CT's not set up that way).
If the state doesn't vote for impeachment, and then the Feds indict and convict, he'll be out anyway. If the Feds indict first, then impeachment will be pretty much a done deal.

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