New Haven Independent

Mayor’s Favorite Marshal Rakes In $196K

by Melissa Bailey | May 9, 2008 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)

“I’m the best,” boasted Peter Criscuolo, the marshal at the center of an ongoing towing scandal, as he filed his latest eye-popping income statement.

Criscuolo took in $146,000 in city-related business in 2007, according to the latest income reports filed last week at the Office of State Ethics. That figure includes revenue from serving tax warrants and payments from law firms that contract with the city to do foreclosure work.

That puts Criscuolo, a fund-raiser for New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and chairman of the North Haven Democratic Town Committee, at the top of marshals receiving city government work, even as he racks up complaints of favoritism and bullying. Mayor DeStefano praised Criscuolo as the “most aggressive” marshal in town.

Marshal Susie Voigt, the Democratic Town chairwoman, reported receiving $132,419 in city-related foreclosure work in 2007.

Click here and here to read some of the filings, which were due May 1.

Six state marshals raked in a total of over $455,000 in city business in 2007. They get paid in three ways: From law firms hired to file foreclosures for the city, for collection of delinquent taxes, and for riding on the city’s Plate Hunter car-snatching beat. New Haven County has 56 marshals. (Only 62 are allowed by state law.) Criscuolo is again cleaning up among the select few who do New Haven city work. (Read an Advocate story here on how he fared in 2006.)

“I’m the best,” explained Criscuolo, who’s been working for the city for 25 years. Mayor DeStefano defended the arrangement, citing Criscuolo’s skill at getting the job done. “He’s one of the reasons we have a 98 percent collection rate,” DeStefano said.

“Strictly A Businessman”

Criscuolo reported a gross income of $196,087 in 2007. He earned over $146,000 from law firms retained by the city to file foreclosure suits: $73,612 from Jacobs & Rozich, which filed 86 foreclosures suits for the city in 2007, and $51,358 from Dolan & Luzzi, which filed 31 that year. Criscuolo also earned $21,240 directly from the city for tax collection work, including through the Plate Hunter program.

“I worked hard to get that money,” said Criscuolo in an interview Thursday. The marshal gave a defense of how and why he keeps the lucrative job with the city.

“I’m strictly a businessman trying to make a living,” Criscuolo said.

Much of the whopping income figure — $96,823 — goes towards work-related expenses, Criscuolo claimed on the report. He said he works 10 to 14 hours per day, six days a week, serving papers and riding on the city tow truck as part of the marshal job. Whereas others take on the marshal job as a side gig on weekends, Criscuolo relies on it as a sole source of income to support himself and his wife. He said has no pension and pays $12,000 per year for the couple’s health care plan.

“Cities and municipalities do not pay us,” Criscuolo noted. “We are paid by scofflaws.” Foreclosure fees are paid by the defendant, whenever the home is foreclosed. Fees for serving tax warrants are paid by the tax scofflaws. That means marshals usually have to wait 90 days to six months to get paid.

When you factor out all the expenses, “I get paid less than a construction worker, or a Teamster,” the marshal reckoned.

His net income was about $99,000.

A Political Job

Criscuolo was a constant fixture on DeStefano’s gubernatorial campaign trail; he was an active fund-raiser and personally donated $3,250 to the mayor’s quest. Does Criscuolo’s position as the top bread-winner have anything to do with this political support?

“What I do politically has nothing to do with my workability,” Criscuolo maintained. “My workability has never been challenged.”

“I’m the best,” Criscuolo continued. “In 25 years I have been doing work with the city of New Haven, I have never lost one penny. I have never missed a date on serving a paper. I am strictly hired to do a job.” He noted that in 26 years, he has only had six complaints before the State Marshal Commission, and all were dismissed “I think that’s a pretty good record,” he said. (He didn’t mention the time he was reprimanded and removed from the towing rotation after a verbal confrontation with a woman.)

The marshal noted that his political support has not been limited to the current mayor. “I worked on Dick Lee’s campaign. I worked on Bart Guida’s campaign. I worked on Frank Logue’s” — and John Daniels’ and Ben DeLieto’s, he said — all former mayors. He served as former Gov. Ella Grasso’s treasurer, too.

“I’ve given up my time to work for the Democratic Party my whole life,” Criscuolo said. “I’m a diehard Democrat. I’ve worked for a lot of different Democrats in a lot of different towns that I never got a penny of work from.”

“What I do politically has nothing to do with my workability,” he maintained.

DeStefano’s Defense

Back at City Hall, DeStefano defended the arrangement.

“Did Peter get [the work] because he’s politically connected?” the mayor said, echoing a reporter’s question to him. “All sheriffs are politically connected.” (Marshals used to be called “sheriffs” until a corruption scandal led to state “reforms” that renamed them.)

“It’s not that we chose the five or six politically connected marshals,” DeStefano explained. “Every sheriff is politically connected.”

Marshals received a total of about $355,000 from law firms that do foreclosure work with the city in 2007. The city puts out an RFQ (request for qualifications) for law firms, retaining them on contract. Each law firm then decides, out of the 56 marshals in the state, whom to take on as an independent contractor to serve papers. Most have established relationships with select few marshals.

DeStefano said he isn’t as concerned with which specific marshals get the work as with “whether the program is run fairly.” Marshal fees are decided by state statute, he noted.

Did Criscuolo’s role as DeStefano’s political fund-raiser and ally have anything to do with him retaining so much lucrative marshal work from the city? DeStefano replied that there were “hundreds” of Democratic town chairs across the state who raised money for his gubernatorial bid.

“Peter gets himself in trouble sometimes, but he’s an aggressive collector,” interjected DeStefano’s chief of staff, Sean Matteson, explaining why the marshal keeps his job. “He hustles.”

“That’s part of the reason [City Tax Collector] C.J. [Cuticello] uses him,” DeStefano said. “We’ve had issues” with Criscuolo’s performance, but his aggressiveness is “one of the reasons we have a 98 percent collection rate.”

The Second-“Best” Crew

The rest of the city’s marshal team is a crew of politically connected Democrats, most holding local office of some kind.

Voigt, the New Haven Democratic Town Chairwoman, took in the second-highest income of the group of marshals who do city work. Voigt earned $132,419 from law firms retained by the city to file foreclosure suits: $39,078 from Mongillo & Isler, which filed 60 suits for the city in 2007; $60,310 from Palumbo & DeLaura (which filed 52 cases); $33,031 from Susman, Duffy and Segaloff (45 cases filed in 2007). Most of that work is filing foreclosure suits, Voigt said.

Voigt’s gross income was $154,358. She wrote off almost $30,000 in work-related expenses, including $116.35 for “entertainment.”

Jerry Juliano, who chairs the Democratic Town Committee in North Branford, took in over $84,000 in city-related business. He made $50,990 from the law offices of Alfred Onorato (which filed 44 city foreclosure suits); $9,495 from Susman, Duffy and Segaloff; and $24,000 prowling with the Plate Hunter. Juliano has since left the towing beat: He did not take the recertification course to work with the city towing program, according to the city. His gross income was $137,000, with about $81,000 in expenses.

Dominic Balletto, Jr., who chaired the New Haven Democratic Town Committee before Voigt, made $37,202 for city work with the Jacobs & Rozich firm. He. He now lives in Guilford. His gross income was $86,000, with $33,000 in expenses.

Andrew Esposito III, a Democratic Council Member of North Branford, made $30,400 manning the Plate Hunter. His gross income was $85,000, including $29,000 in expenses.

Mark DeAngelis made $25,000 from the city Plate Hunting beat. His gross income was $76,000, with $23,000 in expenses.

Criscuolo appears to be the only marshal who does tax collection work aside from the Plate Hunter program. He made about $4,000 from serving tax warrants on personal property. “They need an aggressive marshal for that,” Criscuolo explained.

A Woman’s View

Voigt, who became a marshal in 1998, takes on the work on nights and weekends in addition to her full-time job at Yale’s Peabody Museum.

Shortly after becoming a marshal, in 1999, she approached DeStefano. “I said I was interested in being able to do some work for the city,” she said in a phone interview this week. There was no bidding process, but she found work and has stayed on ever since. She said her ability to speak Spanish and her reliability make her a good fit.

She didn’t take issue with the highly political nature of the people who do marshal work for the city: “Historically, if you went back further the sheriff system,” which was overhauled in 2000, “historically it was even more political that it is today.”

Voigt offered her own take on how the marshal system could be reformed: Out of 56 marshals in the New Haven County, she’s the only woman. And the number of minorities, she said, could be counted on one hand.

“I think we need to have a marshal system that’s more representative of the city,” Voigt said. “There’s a long way to go in reforming the system.”

Previous coverage of New Haven’s towing industry:

“They’re Thieves”

Marshals Sent To School

DMV To Towing Companies: No Sealed Bids

Third Towing Scrape Detailed

Clergy “Exemption” Detailed

New Towing Probe Sought

$200 For 4 Hours

Towing Program Halted

Kimber Gets Off The (Towing) Hook

“We’re Not Double-Dipping”

Alvin Goes For The Chevy

Towing Co. Ducks Tax Bill

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Comments

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | May 9, 2008 11:10 AM

The sheriff/marshall system should be eliminated.

If necessary, the state statute needs to be amended so that sworn police officers are empowered to serve papers for the City.

The City should charge a fee reflecting the actual cost of serving legal papers as required by state statute. That's all defendants (who are frequently people of limited means without political power) should be forced to pay.

I say this fully realizing that it will never happen because there are too many folks feeding at the public trough having vested interests in keeping this scummy system the way it is.

Posted by: JackNH | May 9, 2008 11:17 AM

Unbelievable. I'm speechless, mostly at the brazen defense of this corruption by our elected leaders. Where do I sign up for my share of the take?

Posted by: Suburban Guy | May 9, 2008 3:00 PM

To the two people that posted comments...
Your Tax Dollars at work, All I have ever seen from you is posting how disgusted you are with the system, instead of complaining all the time, why not run for office?? Are your fantasies too extreme and reality is a far grasp?? Do you really want to take sworn officers off the beat to go and serve papers?? Do you even know what it takes to go and find these people to hand deliver these warrants? Then on top of it, who would you select from those sworn officers to do the work??? Lottery? Pick a name out of a hat or maybe one potato, two potato??
As for JackNH, Corruption?? I think the article states everything that is true, these people have to be pretty agressive in the manner of their work. Don't forget all the hours that they have to put it to make this money. Are you ready to sacrifice 80 hours a week to do work or would you rather spend that extra 30-40 hours with your family?? Not to mention the way these people deal with the people they serve. Even though deals are done every day, and I have seen first hand how this particular Marshall (Crisculo) has handed issues. I actually had to use him for serving a warrant.He was professional and well spoken and speaks to people with respect. No job is perfect and no employee is perfect. As for the mayor defending him, why not?? He has a proven track record. Would you rather the money wasn't collected?

Posted by: write&wrong | May 9, 2008 3:01 PM

This is America. Here anyone can be rich if you work hard.

I don't know these people, but it sounds like they work hard, long hours. I also get the sense from the article that law firms are footing the big bills for these folks...not tax payers.

Posted by: Webblog 1 | May 9, 2008 4:25 PM

"The Second-"Best" Crew

The rest of the city's marshal team is a crew of politically connected Democrats, most holding local office of some kind".

So where is Kimber in all this?

AFTER ALL HE IS A FIRE COMMISSIONER.

Posted by: realdeal | May 9, 2008 4:49 PM

Not real aggressive with Mr. Kimber.

Mr. Criscoulo failed to uphold the very laws of our state by waiving the law for Mr. Kimber.

In addition to some type of disiplinary action due to violating an oath to uphold the law, he should be banned from doing City business for this incompetence.

The mere fact that he is not banned from doing city business answers the reporters questions as to the role politics and fundraisng for the mayor play in the business relationship between City hall and Mr. Criscoulo.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | May 9, 2008 6:14 PM

Suburban Guy
You said that he is a professional and well spoken and speaks to people with respect,You must be in a fantasies wake up the only reason that he spoke with respect is that if he did not speak to you with respect you and i would not hire him or anybody who did not who did not speak with respect.Also con men and con woman speak with respect and than take your money.Where was the respect for the woman who just got her car tow and had paid her taxes and they still took her car.Second you said that your tax dollars at work should run for office,How can he under this crooked political two party system,Look at who is head of the democratic town committee Susan voigt
a marshal herself!!! I even heard the democratic
town committee in west haven is also run by a marshal,Wake up and smell the mackral bottom line
this is politricks at it best!!!!

Posted by: What? | May 9, 2008 6:38 PM

Come on Suburban Guy, we know who you are (PC).

Write & Wrong: who do you think pays the lawyers fees? The taxpayers, duh.

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | May 9, 2008 6:43 PM

The fee system coming to us from colonial times is outdated and inherently corruptive. It survives today in the Probate Courts and the marshal/sherrifs.

Both systems prey on people least able to pay: e.g. defendants in foreclosure cases and heirs in small estates. Both systems survive because there still exist politicians who do supposedly non paying jobs (like party chairpersons and law partners of active politicians). These party stalwarts are over-compensated by way of a 350 year old, opaque off-the-books system.

The comparatively huge federal court system eliminated fees for service of legal papers, bankruptcy trustees, etc. long ago and operates very efficiently.

Posted by: Gary Doyens | May 9, 2008 11:08 PM

Only in Connecticut do people put up with such nonense and justify it with a straight face. I've seen first hand the corrupt ways of the probate court and the attorneys associated with them as they drain the estates of dead people and at the expense of the heirs. This marshal system is not much better. We'd all be better served if both were scrapped. Those who justify it as "we've always done it this way" is the reason we're stuck in the dark ages with individual school systems, seperate police forces, no regional cooperation on growth strategies, shared expenses like Tweed and all the rest.

Posted by: Suburban Guy | May 10, 2008 9:36 AM

Threefifths..
Well I do live in reality, not fantasy, I work two jobs to help support my child. As for the Marshall, I have actually worked with him in the past, but I don't play favorites, if someone is wrong so be it. If someone gets favors done, so be it, if someone gets away with someone so be it. If my car gets towed for taxes, so be it, its my fault for not paying. As for the woman who got her car towed, who programs computers?? UM PEOPLE...People make mistakes, so nothing is perfect. That is why you should always keep your reciepts ( I DO!!!) Because you never know when you will need to prove something. Call it being anal, but you never know when they will come in handy. Oh, I don't care if I never get a favor done like these other people do. The reason why I am not in politics, is because I am not politically correct, that is my choice, so I live with my choices. Just like everyone else needs to live with their choices.
As for PoliTRICKS...C'mon...you don't think every town has PoliTRICKS??? YOU NEED TO wake up, starting with the small towns all the way up to the PRESIDENCY, there are tricks every where. So either you accept it or do something about it. Just writing about it doesn't solve anything. Trying to change the process that has been happening since the beginning of time. Now that's a reality check.

Posted by: Steve | May 10, 2008 12:06 PM

First reply to Right&Wrong-- the Law Firms that use these Marshalls are working for the city as well and bill the city for the Marshalls work--we are paying for it through our property taxes.

Second-- this Mayor is a disgrace, imagine him as Governor-actually not a bad thought he would probably be in Rowlands old jail cell by now. I wish!!

Using Mayor Johnnie's own words--THIS SUCKS- what a compliment to his professionalism. The standard bearer is an embarrasment to us all.

Throw the BUM out now!!

Posted by: Edward_H | May 11, 2008 10:52 AM

Your Tax dollars at Work

The comparatively huge federal court system eliminated fees for service of legal papers, bankruptcy trustees, etc. long ago and operates very efficiently.

WOW! I have never heard anyone say that before, but I guess it depends on your definition of "efficiently".

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | May 11, 2008 11:03 PM

Suburn Guy
I have done something about this ,I have send a letter to Gov.Rell to investigate as to why some people are being tow and the politically connected
are not!!! You see this system of politricks exist
because of people like you who say either you do something about it or accept it,We all need to do
something about this,Rember if it was not for somebody take a stand then some of the things we do have we would not have today.You said that people make a mistake,You are right a lot of mistakes are being made in city hall and that a reality check that we must all be a where of because more is to come and my question to you is what are you going to do about these mistakes or are you going to just sit by and accept them as mistakes because i will bet you most people who have write a post on this will agree that these are not mistake but politricks at it best!!! P.S.
If you want to see some real mistakes google the New York City parking violation scandal of 1987
which was a enterprise for illegal profit.

Posted by: joey | May 12, 2008 8:25 AM

Wow suburban guy well said you must be highly educated and a stand up guy, much respect to you sir. Only if we all could take that approach to everyday life. Its funny that most of us will sit at our desk or at home and write about the happenings of the day complain and place blame but wont get up and do anything about it. No one can say they have never had a favor done for them and if they do shame on them for lying. We all know life is not far and there are double standards everyware only our very own action can inprove it. Suburban guy, coffee on me.

Posted by: Charlie | May 12, 2008 9:46 AM

"I'm the best" boasts Criscuolo, but what he didn't say in finishing the thought is that he is the best at helping to screw people who are least able to defend themselves against some of the shady practices these Marshalls enable, like piling on fees to what often start as small monetary squablles. Next thing you know the fees are two or three times the original amount in dispute. The arraogance of people like him and Voigt expose this marshall system for the scam it is. If this guy didn't have this to fall back on, he'd be a working stiff like the rest of us.

I'll say this though, this is a great example of how white folks control the system for their own benefit, and when really forced to, they let the blacks have the small penny anty jobs like working at BOE or City Hall (becuase most of them don't relly know where the real money is) while keeping these gigs for themselves. We should abolish this system and use police officers to serve warrants.

Posted by: Suburban Guy | May 12, 2008 9:40 PM

Hey Joey...I'll take you up on that coffee...

Posted by: Gary Doyens | May 13, 2008 10:12 AM

Suburban Guy and Joey:

You're right only in this: Favors and mutual back scratching happens all time time, yes from New Haven to the state, to to federal government. That's fine provided it doesn't diminish democracy, competition or our individual rights and freedoms. That's where it goes off the tracks in New Haven.

These contracts and connections are used to reward (read pay off) campaign supporters and to protect the power of the mayor who then returns the favor with more contracts, more money, more favoritism. It locks people out of the political process, silences public policy debates, and devalues the individual vote.

Consider the following:
1. Anastasios make campaign contributions and are transformed from a trucking company to a railroad company and save more than $500,000 in back taxes, and more than a $100,000 a year going forward.
2. Susie Voigt controls the Democratic Party in New Haven, makes more than $130,000 as a marshal when she wasn't one before.
3. Criscuolo raises money for the mayor, gets marshal contracts, violates city policy, abuses taxpayers and still earns the bulk of his annual $200K from the city. He does go to sensitivity school so he can still abuse taxpayers, just with a lower level of bullying.
4. Contractors build the schools, and contribute money to DeStefano campaigns.
5. Unions contribute money and end up with 55% benefit packages.
6. Liquor shop has no connected lawyer - gets dissed by the city. Hires a connected lawyer, ends up on Chapel Street.
7. Some alders, ward leaders and others are rewarded with city jobs and end up supporting DeStefano spending plans.
8. Boise Kimber ends up with tow free parking all over the city and free city land for his church expansion I'm told, not to mention all the people who looked the other way on his questionable development deals of past years. He works the mayor's re-election gig.
9. McGrath, the election day storm troooper double dips on the pension and pulls a city contract, reliably dragging people to the polls for the mayor and his slate.

It may be how it's always been in New Haven - doesn't make it right. It's time to change.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | May 13, 2008 3:07 PM

Gary Doyens
My man Well Put.P.S. I rember when the parking violation scandal of 1987 in new york was plan
with coffee being served and than came the favors!!! And New York today has one of the most expenses parking tickets and tow program in the country!!!!

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | May 13, 2008 8:41 PM

The corruption and favoritism is mostly about getting out the vote (or at least certain votes) in a city with effectively only one party.

Mayor’s Favorite Marshal Rakes In $196K

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