News Release
June 17, 2010
Contact: Special Agent Tony Pettigrew
Number: 617-557-2138

Brookfield Man Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison For Role In Danbury-Area Crack Cocaine Ring

JUN 17 -- Steven W. Derr, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration for New England and David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JOHN CIPOLLA, 44, of Brookfield, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for his involvement in a Danbury-area crack cocaine ring.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Aaron Thompson, also known as “A” and “A-Plus,” of Bridgeport, headed a crack cocaine distribution ring that served dozens of customers in and around Danbury.  The DEA Task Force investigation, which included controlled purchases of narcotics and court-authorized wiretaps over several telephones, revealed that Thompson regularly obtained large quantities of cocaine, converted or “cooked” the cocaine into crack, and then distributed it to others for street sale.

CIPOLLA distributed narcotics, and also assisted Joseph Fonseca of Danbury, one of Thompson’s lieutenants, by driving him to and from Bridgeport to pick up large quantities of narcotics for distribution in and around Danbury.

On November 24, 2009, CIPOLLA pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine.”)

Thompson and Fonseca each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base (“crack cocaine”), and have been sentenced to 168 months and 87 months of imprisonment, respectively.

This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force – which includes representatives from the Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Stratford and Bridgeport Police Departments – in cooperation with the Danbury Police Special Investigations Division.  The New Milford Police Department also assisted in the investigation.