Newtown Resident Charged With Additional Forgery

WATERBURY — Chief State’s Attorney Christopher L. Morano announced on August 17 the arrest of a Newtown resident on an additional charge of forgery in the second degree in an alleged scheme involving condominiums owned by the man and his brother.

Michael Daubert, 40, of 107 Church Hill Road, Sandy Hook, is accused of forging his brother’s signature on a document authorizing Mr Daubert to conduct bank transactions from his brother’s bank accounts in his brother’s name.

Mr Daubert owned several condominiums in the Waterbury area and owns and manages a local property management company and a security company. He formerly was a police officer in Bethel.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, in 2003, Mr Daubert was transferring funds into and out of his brother’s Wachovia Bank line of credit accounts by telephone transactions. Mr Daubert was informed that in order to continue making such transactions, the bank needed a letter of authorization from his brother.

In July 2003, Mr Daubert gave such a letter to a vice president of the Wachovia Bank in Newtown. Mr Daubert’s brother subsequently indicated to inspectors from the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney that he had never written, signed, or authorized the letter and that the letter Mr Daubert submitted to the bank was a forgery, the warrant states.

In April 2005, Mr Daubert was charged with eight counts of forgery in the second degree, and one count each of conspiracy to commit forgery in the second degree and burglary in the third degree.

These charges arose from an alleged scheme by Mr Daubert to illegally conceal ownership of condominium units that he owned jointly with his estranged wife prior to their impending divorce and from improprieties in the management of the condominium association where the units are located. The case is pending.

Forgery in the second degree is a felony carrying a maximum prison term of five years.

Mr Daubert was arraigned on August 17 in Waterbury Superior Court. Judge Frank Iannotti set bond at $10,000 and placed the defendant on electronic monitoring. The case was transferred to Danbury Superior Court, and continued to August 19.

The cases are being prosecuted by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau in the chief state’s attorney Rocky Hill office.