Connecticut Man Receives 36 Months for 2.5 Million Dollar Client Fraud

Dominick N. Donofrio, 73, last residing in Middlefield, Connecticut, appeared before U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport on May 12 and received a sentence of 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for a fraud scheme that took more than 2.5 million dollars from a client.

The fraud directly affected one identified client who lost the full 2.5 million dollars. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut prosecuted the case as an individual fraud matter rather than part of a broader enforcement sweep.

Prior to sentencing Donofrio remained at liberty. The new judgment shifts him immediately into Bureau of Prisons custody to begin the 36-month term; upon release he enters supervised release with standard and fraud-specific conditions that include restitution payments. The restitution obligation becomes enforceable on the date of judgment.

The sentence starts the federal collection process on the 2.5 million dollar restitution order, which probation officers will enforce through wage garnishment, asset seizure or other means permitted under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act. The three-year supervised-release period also activates ongoing financial reporting requirements and limits on new business activity.

Any failure to pay restitution can trigger revocation proceedings that return Donofrio to prison.

This case marks the resolution of a prosecution brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The Department of Justice announced the sentence in a press release issued the same day as the hearing.

The judgment concludes the criminal proceedings against Donofrio. Federal courts handle several hundred million dollars in annual restitution orders; each triggers parallel civil and administrative collection tracks that continue after criminal supervision ends.