Ex-city worker gets 6 months for fraud

Republican, The (Springfield, MA) - April 15, 2005

Author/Byline: STEPHANIE BARRY, STAFF, The Republican (Springfield, MA)

Edition: SPRINGFIELD
Section: News
Page: B01
sbarry@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - A gambling habit and childhood friends who turned into FBI targets helped thrust Michael J. Hutchison into the jaws of a
federal corruption probe.
Hutchison, a former city worker and twice-convicted felon, yesterday was sentenced to six months in a halfway house for his role in a
1999 real estate scam hatched at City Hall.
A federal prosecutor, Hutchison's lawyer and the defendant himself pointed to an old gambling habit that led to a hunt for get-rich-quick
schemes.
"Back in 1999 through approximately 2001 . . . I was not thinking clearly. I had a compulsive gambling addiction," said Hutchison, who
immediately dissolved into tears as he apologized to his family. He was convicted of seven counts of fraud and money-laundering along
with co-defendant Chester J. Ardolino, 37, who resigned for the city Police Department after his conviction. The men pocketed $18,000 in
illegal proceeds after purchasing a home at 11-15 Belmont Place. The sale was propped up by phony financial documents and an inflated
appraisal, using Hutchison's sister as a "straw buyer."
Ardolino was sentenced last month to six months home confinement. The charges were brought as part of a larger corruption
investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Welch II yesterday told U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor that Hutchison once racked up
$30,000 in credit card advances to pay off gambling debts.
Hutchison, a credit card machine salesman, told Ponsor he began attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings three years ago. He worked
for the city - first as a fraud investigator and later as an employment specialist - from 1996-2003.
For his part, Welch saved the most stinging criticism for two ex-city officials not charged: former Mayor Michael J. Albano and top aide
Anthony M. Ardolino, a childhood friend of Hutchison's and Chester Ardolino's younger brother.
"This offers you a slice of life of what City Hall was like during the mayoral administration of Michael Albano," Welch told Ponsor, adding
that Anthony Ardolino allegedly brought the prospective deal to Hutchison and called the first meeting in his office.
Neither Anthony Ardolino nor Albano returned calls for comment yesterday. Welch has said Anthony Ardolino was a partner in the deal,
but took pains to keep his name off the paperwork.
"Anthony Ardolino tried to distance himself from this, but in the end he won't be able to do that," Welch said during the sentencing
hearing. He refused to clarify the statement afterward, except to say investigators will follow the evidence in the sweeping, four-year probe
"to the bitter end."
The Ardolinos were identified as early targets of the federal investigation. Employees at two city agencies and the Springfield Housing
Authority have been indicted for or convicted of self-dealing and other crimes.
Hutchison's lawyer, City Councilor Daniel D. Kelly, told Ponsor his client was just an average guy who got sucked into sports betting.
"His finances became a slave to that addiction," Kelly said.
After the sentencing, Kelly said Hutchison - already convicted in 2003 of insurance fraud uncovered by federal investigators - has been
dogged by agents who believed he could offer up higher-ranking public workers.
"Would he have been tried but for perceived relationships with former city officials? Any informed person would have to say no," Kelly said.
Hutchison was also ordered to pay a $7,000 fine and serve three years probation. He must report to a halfway house within 30 days.
Index terms: SENTENCE; COURT; FEDERAL; FRAUD
Record: MERLIN_3189740
Copyright: Copyright, 2005, The Republican Company, Springfield, MA. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission.