US Attorney: Westport Investment Advisor Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Charge
Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Joleen D. Simpson, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that THOMAS PACILIO, 64, of Westport, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to a federal tax offense.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2011, Pacilio and his partner started Clapboard Hill Advisors LLC, a financial services business headquartered in Westport. In 2013, Pacilio created Alcamo Holding Corporation Inc. (“Alcamo”), an 1120S corporation, and transferred his Clapboard Hill Advisors partnership interest to Alcamo. In 2014, Pacilio, through Alcamo, and his partner, through a separate 1120S corporation, sold Clapboard Hill Advisors to McGladrey Wealth Management LLC (“McGladrey”). Under the sale agreement, McGladrey agreed to make a lump sum payment at closing. Thereafter, Pacilio was to become an employee of McGladrey for three years subject to a non-competition provision. In addition to being paid a salary by McGladrey, if Pacilio remained an employee, Pacilio would receive a $350,000 payment on each anniversary of the sale for three years. He would also receive a portion of McGladrey’s annual gross revenue of up to $150,000 for the first year, $350,000 for the second year, and $450,000 for the third year.
In pleading guilty, Pacilio admitted that, for the 2015 through 2018 tax years, he filed individual income tax returns that omitted installment payments related to the sale of Clapboard Hill Advisors to McGladrey. In total, he omitted approximately $1,476,425 that should have been reported either as ordinary income or as capital gains, which resulted in a tax loss of $286,328 to the IRS.
Pacilio pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for April 6.
Pacilio is released on a $350,000 pending sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather L. Cherry.
Wendy Petty Announced as next Director of Westport Center for Senior Activities
Contributed photoFirst Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker announced today that Wendy Petty has been appointed as the Director of the Westport Center for Senior Activities (WCSA), effective February 1. The WCSA is an operation of the Town of Westport's Department of Human Services under the supervision of Westport's Human Services Director Elaine Daignault.
Wendy, a Fairfield resident, comes to Westport with a depth of experience and commitment to the senior community. She served as the Weston Senior Activities Center Director for the past 11 years and worked in Weston's Department of Social Services and corporate settings.
Under Wendy's leadership, Weston's Senior Center saw significant growth that helped to expand the center's offerings through fundraising, capacity-building, and advocacy. She has a strong history of establishing partnerships with local organizations, volunteer networks, colleagues, and social services agencies to realize innovative social and recreational opportunities for seniors.
First Selectwoman Tooker said, “Wendy's collaborative approach makes her an ideal candidate to lead the WCSA after the retirement of long-time Director Sue Pfister.”
Originally from Southern California, Wendy and her husband Jim raised their children in Weston, CT, and recently moved to Fairfield. She has a B.A. in Counseling and Human Services from Notre Dame de Namur University.
In addition to her specialty in senior services, Wendy is proficient in non-profit operations, team leadership, grant and program development, and budget administration.
“I am very happy to welcome Wendy to Westport's Center for Senior Activities,” said Tooker. “She brings professional expertise, operational management, and local knowledge to the Human Services team and, most importantly, to the WCSA.”
Added Petty, “I am very excited to join WCSA's team and look forward to building on their success as an exemplary hub for local seniors. Together, we will continue to provide the best possible care and service to the senior community.”
In her free time, Wendy enjoys running, taking long walks with friends, and spending time with family. Wendy and Jim are also active in the local car enthusiast community and enjoy weekend rallies on the beautiful back roads of Connecticut.
In addition to Wendy's appointment, effective February 1, 2023, First Selectwoman Tooker promoted Holly Betts to Assistant Director of WCSA and Jason Wilson to Program Specialist, effective January 1, 2023.
“The Senior Center's success can be attributed to a variety of factors, including a Town administration that prioritizes seniors, participants who both contribute and drive programming, and our professional staff members who facilitate connections and run the programs day in and day out,” said Daignault. “Under Sue Pfister's leadership, the WCSA's dedicated team helped to build the center of Westport's dreams.”
Daignault added, “Today, we prepare for a new era of growth and prosperity for our most esteemed senior residents. I could not be more excited to welcome Wendy to the team.”
Morning Weather Report
Today
Rain, mainly before 2pm. Patchy fog. High near 41. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight
A slight chance of rain before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers between 11pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. Northwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tomorrow
Partly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind around 7 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 26. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
RTM Called to Review Planning and Zoning Decision on Changes for Saugatuck
Town Clerk Jeff Dunkerton and Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Moderator Jeff Wieser notified the public today that the RTM will hold a special public meeting on Tuesday, January 17 at 7:30 PM via ZOOM to review the Planning and Zoning Commission’s December 12, 2022 decision regarding Text Amendment #819 (to create a new zoning district, §24C, General Business District/ Saugatuck Marina (GBD/SM) and Map Amendment #820 (to modify the Westport Zoning Map to rezone eleven (11) properties from General Business District (GBD) to proposed §24C, General Business District/Saugatuck Marina (GBD/SM).
Pursuant to the Westport Town Charter C10-4, “any action by the Planning & Zoning Commission adopting, amending or repealing any zoning regulation or fixing or changing the boundary of any zoning district, or a negative 8-24 report by the Commission shall be subject to review by the Representative Town Meeting…”
Text Amendment #819 and Map Amendment #820 were adopted by the Planning & Zoning Commission on December 12, 2022 and the legal Notice of Decision was published on December 16, 2022. On December 22, 2022, petitioners submitted a request to the Town Clerk to place the item on the RTM Agenda for its review.
RTM Committee(s) will hold public meetings on Thursday, January 5, Tuesday, January 10 and Thursday, January 12 (if necessary) via ZOOM – details available at https://www.westportct.gov/about/advanced-components/meeting-list-calendar
The January 17, 2023 public hearing will be held via ZOOM with further instructions to follow. It will also be live streamed on the Town’s website at www.westportct.gov, and accessible on Optimum Government Access Channel 79 and Frontier Channel 6020.
John “Jack” Mohr, 96, Died; Staples Class of 1944, Veteran, “the most genuine of human beings”
(May 10, 1926 - December 8, 2022) John Day Mohr passed away on December 8, 2022 in Unionville, Pennsylvania, where he and his late wife Nancy lived for most of their 65 years of marriage. Born in New Rochelle, NY, John, also known as 'Jack,' was 96 years old.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Franz J Mohr, he grew up in Westport, Connecticut and graduated from Staples High School in 1944. Soon after graduation, and at the age of 17, he cleverly managed to enlist in the precursor to the US Air Force, the Army Air Corps, where he became a navigator in a B-29 bomber. He was called to active duty the following November, shortly after his father died while serving in the Coast Guard.
After the war, John was accepted to the architecture program at Middlebury College, but never attended, as two longtime buddies convinced him to join them on a road trip to Mexico in a 1928 Packard. Once there, GI Bill in hand, John enrolled in Mexico City College, where the head of the English department, formerly a tenured professor from UCLA, took an interest in his writing and convinced him to pursue a major in English. After completing his freshman year at Mexico City, he returned to the States at his family's request, ultimately earning a BA in English from Kent State University in Ohio.
After college he found work in the advertising department of a Connecticut garment company. Shortly thereafter, he moved on to be a copywriter for Madison Avenue ad agency titan, J. Walter Thompson, where he met Nancy. Not long after their marriage in 1956, they decided to leave New York and move to the rolling hills of Green Spring Valley, Maryland, an easy commute to Baltimore where John had landed a new copywriting position. It was there that their family started to grow and where they put down roots that still remain to this day. Six years later, the Mohr family moved to Pennsylvania when John began to work for ad agency N.W. Ayer in Philadelphia. They eventually purchased a farm in Chatham, Pennsylvania replete with five children and an ever-expanding menagerie of farm animals, horses, cows, ponies, chickens, pigs, dogs and even a donkey.
In 1974, wishing to escape encroaching development, they sold the farm and purchased land in nearby Unionville on which they built a new house and barn using materials salvaged from the large bank barn from the Chatham farm. The Unionville farm would become the Mohrs' home for almost 40 years. During the early years in Pennsylvania, John was enjoying a long tenure as senior copywriter at N. W. Ayer. However, in the late seventies, N. W. Ayer chose to relocate to Madison Avenue. With John and Nancy's attachment to the Unionville area by this time all but permanent, a move back to New York didn't appeal. So, the devoted father of five began his now legendary daily commute from Unionville to Manhattan. At N. W. Ayer, his ad campaigns included AT&T, 7-Up, Carrier Air Conditioning and Shorts Airplanes. This went on for the better part of seven years before John finally hung up his advertising spurs to happily tend to the rolling pastures and woods of Sevynmor Farm. It was also not uncommon for John to revisit his fascination with the world of flight, taking the occasional flying lesson or attending an air show.
With a deep appreciation of the open country and rolling hills of Chester County, John and Nancy became deeply involved in land conservation. As advocates and supporters of the Brandywine Conservancy, they were among the first in the community to place their land under conservation easement. As a supporter of farming and open space, John was also one of the first members named to The Chester County Agriculture Development Council. When a local newspaper inquired of his ag credentials, he described himself as a 'casual pig farmer.' Always the copywriter.
And always, to those who knew him well, among the most genuine of human beings they ever knew.
John lost his loving wife, Nancy L. Mohr, on August 14, 2021. He is survived by his two daughters and three sons, Timothy Day Mohr (Sherman Todd), Wendy Carlyle Mohr Morris (Cooper Morris), Jonathan Day Mohr (Jan Haskell), Margot Mohr Teetor (David Christopher Teetor), Peter Day Mohr, thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Joan Day Mohr and is predeceased by his sister, Judith Borden, and her husband, Don Borden. In lieu of flowers, the family would love for you to consider making a donation in the memory of John Day Mohr to the New Garden Flying Field, Future Aviators, 1235 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, PA 19374. Arrangements by Kuzo Funeral Home of Kennett Square, PA. To view his online tribute and leave a message for John's family, visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.
Published by The Daily Local from Jan. 3 to Jan. 8, 2023.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Calm wind.
Tomorrow
A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Light west wind.
YouTubers Bait Sex Offender with Fake Boy; Stratford Man Arrested, Held on $250k Bond
Westport Police Department: 
Contributed photoOn February 10th, 2022, Westport Police were notified of a YouTube video showing four individuals recording in the parking lot of 397 Post Rd East. Three of the four individuals in the video had allegedly been communicating with the fourth, identified as Paul Sastrum, via on-line chat.
The three individuals who were recording the incident alleged that, during the chat, one of them told SASTRUM they were a 14-year-old male. Once SASTRUM was aware that he was chatting with a 14-year-old male, the individuals recording the incident allege he made graphic sexual comments and made it clear he wanted to meet. The recording group allege that SASTRUM agreed to meet in the parking lot in Westport and upon his arrival, they began the recording.
At the end of the recording SASTRUM leaves in a vehicle bearing a Connecticut registration plate. This registration plate returned the necessary information to identify the alleged suspect as Paul Sastrum. An arrest warrant was applied for and ultimately granted charging SASTRUM with the above referenced crime.
On December 28th, 2022, SASTRUM was charged with the above referenced crimes while at Stamford Superior Court. He was held on a $250,000.00 bond with a court date of December 28th, 2022.
January RTM Meeting: HazMat Agreement Signed, STEAP Grant Approved, Leaf Blower Ordinance Passes
January 3rd, 2023 Agenda & Results
Westport’s Representative Town Meeting met in the Town Hall Auditorium for a session beginning at 7:30 and adjourning at just after 9:30 in the evening.
1. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the First Selectwoman and a request by the Fire Chief,
to approve the Amended and Restated Hazardous Materials Response Mutual Aid Agreement.Unanimously approved by all present RTM members.
2. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the recommendation of the Director of Public Works, to adopt a resolution to
authorize First Selectwoman Jennifer S. Tooker to accept on behalf of the Town of Westport, a 2022 Connecticut STEAP Grant in the
amount of $250,000.00 and to enter into and execute any and all agreements, contracts and documents necessary to obtain said 2022
STEAP Grant with the State of Connecticut.Unanimously approved by all present RTM members.
3. To take such action as the meeting may determine, upon the request of at least 2 RTM members, to adopt an ordinance restricting the
use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Westport. (Second reading. Full text available in the Town Clerk's Office).
Approved by all present RTM members.
22 “yes” | 09 “no” | 00 abstain
Morning Weather Report
Today
Showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Areas of fog after 4pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers, mainly before 1am. Areas of fog before 1am, then areas of fog after 4am. Low around 45. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tomorrow
A 20 percent chance of showers. Areas of fog before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
Westport Department of Human Services Announces Volunteer Tax Assistance Program Returns for 2023
The Department of Human Services is pleased to announce its annual partnership with the AARP/VITA/IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program offering free tax prep for residents. The tax assistance program assists seniors and low to moderate-income households with virtual or on-site personalized counseling by appointment at Town Hall or Westport’s Center for Senior Activities.
On-site counseling is available from January 23, 2023 to April 17, 2023 by appointment only.
Town Hall Appointment Hours:
Mondays between 1-7pm
Center for Senior Activities Appointment Hours:
Wednesdays between 9am- 4pm
Thursdays between 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm.
Appointments are required and can be made by calling 860-590-8910. The virtual option can be accessed via https://simplifyct.org .
This free Tax Assistance Program is the nation’s largest, free volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service and is available to all individual filers regardless of income or age. During the last full (pre-Covid) tax season, some 65,000 IRS-certified volunteers provided this service at more than 9,000 sites across the nation, resulting in some three and a half million taxpayer returns being prepared and filed. In Connecticut about 52,000 federal returns were processed, in addition to an equal number of State returns and many amended filings from prior years.
The “SimplyCT” counselor group that services the Town of Westport prepared and filed more than 7,000 returns last season – almost all electronically. Federal refunds totaling over $10 million were received by these clients, including some $3 million from tax credits such as for education and earned income.
Before starting either the on-site or virtual filings taxpayers must have the following types of information available:
Identity Documentation
Government Issued Photo ID.
Social Security or ITIN numbers for all taxpayers and dependents.
Bank account/routing numbers (blank check preferable), if expecting a refund.
All 2022 income report forms received
SSA1099 if you were paid Social Security benefits.
W-2(s) from your employer(s).
W-2G from gambling winnings.
1099G from unemployment compensation payments.
1099s: Bank interest, stock dividends, retirement distributions, broker statements.
Other Important Documents
If itemizing deductions, receipts for expenses such as taxes paid (real estate, vehicle) and charitable contributions; and verification of the original purchase price of sold assets (home, stocks).
Form 1095-A if health insurance was from the Access Health Connecticut Marketplace.
And preferably, for Reference, A Copy of last year’s (TY 2021) Return
Many of the same IRS-Certified volunteers who have been serving the Town of Westport’s sties for years will be available to prepare taxpayer returns; Westport Human Services and the Center for Senior Activities are pleased to again partner with these IRS-certified preparers to offer this valuable service to the community.