State Grants Scandal: Two Business Owners Stall Auditors

0:00It's April 3rd. Welcome in. This is Hartford News Today, where local news meets AI. Two business owners, linked to state grants, funneled through the Blue Hills Civic Association in Hartford, are stone-walling auditors. Sonsere Cicero's companies, under the S.H.Iba name, got about $1.7 million from 2022 to 2024, while Roberta. Huskies' RH Realty pulled in $225,000 in 2023 and 2024. These funds came by a Senator Doug McCrory, and now officials can't get records to check if over $15 million in public money was spent. Right. Cicero faces a federal criminal probe alongside McCrory, and she's dodged record requests before, like in a canceled Hartford training program last. Year. Huskies' firm was supposed to coach minority families on mortgages, but reports show slim results, just seven families helped with the first chunk, and only one bought a home. Both sign contracts promising access to their books for state auditors. State leaders are pushing back hard.

1:04Governor Ned Lamont's team wants to use every legal tool to force compliance, and the businesses could get banned from future grants. McCrory, a 20-year legislator, claims on TV that the cash went to good use. Senator Rob Samson calls the no-show docks a red flag, stressing due process, but noting it looks bad with millions on the line. The audit kicked off early this year after Blue Hills reported a $300,000 fraudulent wire loss uncovering bigger messes like. McCrory personally directing subgrants, despite no official role there. Auditors from Clifton, Larson, Allen, hit up 31 recipients over two months, only Cicero and Hosky ghosted them. As the state weighs court action, this saga spotlights weak spots in how earmarks flow with little oversight, leaving taxpayers wondering if the system's right for fixes before more funds vanish into thin air.