One man ran two public housing authorities at the same time.
Prosecutors say he forged board resolutions from both of them. Then he used those fake documents to help pull a $16.2 million loan — and sent pieces of the money into his own investment account and his own mortgage.
That’s not a rumor. That’s a federal indictment. Here’s the record.
The Charges
Robert Cappelletti served as Executive Director of the Meriden Housing Authority in Connecticut from 2009 to 2025. Starting in 2016, he also ran the Groton Housing Authority. Same person, two agencies, both serving low-income families who rely on federal and state housing dollars.
On September 22, 2026, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a nine-count indictment against him. Five counts of wire fraud. Four counts of engaging in illegal monetary transactions.
The case comes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, working with HUD’s Office of Inspector General — the federal watchdog tasked with protecting housing funds meant for low-income families.
Cappelletti was arrested the same day. He appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge in New Haven, pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $500,000 bond pending trial.
How It Allegedly Worked
Prosecutors say that in 2022, Cappelletti arranged for a related nonprofit entity to borrow $16.2 million from a lender. A loan that size needs authorization — board resolutions showing the housing authorities signed off on it.
According to the indictment, Cappelletti fabricated those resolutions. He made it look like both the Meriden Housing Authority and the Groton Housing Authority had officially approved the loan. Prosecutors say they hadn’t. He forged the paperwork himself.
That fabricated authorization is what prosecutors say unlocked the $16.2 million.
From there, prosecutors allege Cappelletti diverted a portion of the proceeds into his personal investment account and used another portion toward payments on his own home mortgage — while still running both public housing agencies.
Editorial interpretation: if the allegations hold up, that means a man responsible for housing low-income families in two separate Connecticut towns was allegedly funding his personal finances with borrowed money tied to those same agencies, while still showing up to run them day to day.
What’s at Stake
Each of the five wire fraud counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Each of the four illegal monetary transaction counts carries up to 10 years. Those are the ceilings set by statute — not a prediction of what he’ll actually get if convicted.
Both the Meriden and Groton Housing Authorities have already terminated Cappelletti, filed civil lawsuits against him, and ended the shared-services arrangement that let one person oversee both agencies at once, according to local reporting.
Where This Stands
Cappelletti is indicted, not convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and is out on bond. A criminal trial still has to decide whether the $16.2 million fraud allegations actually stick.
What’s already changed: two housing agencies have cut ties, filed suit, and ended the arrangement that gave one executive control over both.
Head to themoraldecayindex.com to read the sourced record for yourself. Then tell us your verdict: was this one person exploiting a broken shared-services setup, or a system that let one man hold the keys to two public agencies with nobody checking the paperwork until $16.2 million was gone?