Contract work never completed in one state

Topline: Taxpayers are often suspicious that government insiders can rewrite the rules to benefit themselves. But in Connecticut, the problem is that the rules were not rewritten.

Business consultant Sonserae Cicero received $168,000 in state funding to rewrite the handbook of a local nonprofit and train its staff, but a Jan. 20 audit claims there is no evidence the work was ever completed.

Cicero was chosen as a grant recipient by State Sen. Doug McCrory. Federal prosecutors are currently investigating an alleged romantic relationship between the two.

Key facts: Cicero is the CEO of the Society of Human Engagement & Business Alignment, which describes itself as “a minority and women-owned full HR support service for entrepreneurs and candidates seeking job placement. … focused on supporting those impacted by socio-economic and cultural challenges.”

In 2022, the nonprofit Blue Hills Civic Association hired Cicero to rewrite its employee handbook, which had not been updated since 2007. Blue Hills’ board meeting agendas showed that Cicero was selected by McCrory — not Blue Hills’ employees — and paid using state grants.

Blue Hills paid Cicero $84,000 for the 300 hours she claimed to have spent updating the handbook, but auditors found no evidence that she actually performed any work. Two years later, Blue Hills was still using the exact same handbook from 2007.

The handbook was eventually updated by Blue Hills’ own employees, but auditors found “no indication that Ms. Cicero was involved with this project.” The circumstances “strongly suggest potential fraud and misrepresentation,” according to the audit.

Cicero was also paid $42,000 to spend 150 hours training Blue Hills’ board members and reviewing and updating their written policies. The board members told auditors that “Ms. Cicero did not provide any services for the board,” and their policies were never updated.

Cicero earned another $42,000 for 150 hours of leadership training with Blue Hills’ staff, auditors claim. Auditors found evidence of only one two-hour training session, which included a YouTube video and a 30-minute breakout session.

Cicero and her business received $1.7 million in taxpayer money from Blue Hills from 2022 to 2025, at the direction of McCrory. Though the report only identified issues with $168,000, auditors noted that “Additional review and investigative work … may reveal further instances of fraud, waste, or abuse.”

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Background: There have been allegations since 2023 that McCrory and Cicero live together and are romantically involved. The FBI and a federal grand jury began investigating the potential conflict of interest in August 2025.

A state spokesperson said that the alleged relationship is an “unfounded rumor.” The state also said it did not investigate the rumor because Connecticut’s conflict of interest law covers only spouses and children.

Critical quote: In a Jan. 22 press conference, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said McCrory should “step back” from his leadership roles in the state Senate.

“Look, as soon as [the state] started hearing about some irregularities regarding Blue Hills, they put in place an audit,” Lamont said. “We got the results of the audit, and I think we’ve got to be really strict about this. I have zero tolerance for this type of stuff. I’m not sure he should stay in the positions he’s in right now.”

Summary: Further investigations are likely coming for Connecticut, but there is nothing stopping the state from strengthening its oversight procedures in the meantime.

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