HARTFORD >> Almost two years after a West Haven man waived his right to an indictment and pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, bribery and tax evasion charges, he was sentenced in federal court to 48 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
Michael Siwek, 56, also was ordered to pay restitution of $1,503,096.91 and more than $360,000 to the IRS.
Siwek was executive director of the West Haven Housing Authority and is reported to have accepted about $1.5 million in bribes in exchange for guaranteeing business to co-conspirators between February 2007 and February 2012.
He resigned from the post in 2012 amidst the federal investigation. He was arrested in September 2014 and pleaded guilty later that month.
The West haven Housing Authority receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As executive director, Siwek was in charge of procuring services for the housing group, and he reportedly made business decisions based on bribes from co-conspirators, according to the federal complaint in the case.
As part of the plea agreement, both parties reserved the right to appeal any sentence handed down in the case. Siwek was subject to a five-year sentence for the conspiracy charge, 10 years for bribery, and another five years for the tax evasion charge...