City Employee Arrested On 32 Counts Of Forgery: Norwalk Police

NORWALK, CT — A 70-year-old seasonal Norwalk government employee was arrested on a warrant Thursday charging him with 32 counts of second-degree forgery in connection with forged bids in the Parks and Recreation Department, according to Norwalk police.

William Howard, of Bonnybrook Road in Norwalk, surrendered to police and was released after posting bond on bail of $100,000.

Norwalk police obtained a warrant for Howard's arrest following a three-month-long investigation "regarding submitted vendor bids."

Details of the case were not disclosed, but police said the investigation, which was requested by the Parks and Recreation Department, turned up forged bids dating back to 2007. Due to the statute of limitations, investigators only were able to proceed with charges for incidents that occurred within the last five years.

"[The bids] were discovered in late 2020 following changes in personnel and reporting structure within the Recreation and Parks Department," Norwalk police said. "As soon as City staff noticed discrepancies in documents and receipts, they immediately contacted the Norwalk Police Department for investigation."

Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said the allegations "represent a severe breach of the public's trust," but are not indicative of the city's overall government workforce.

"Professionalized restructuring of City Hall helped bring these alleged actions to light," Rilling said. "I applaud the efforts of our staff in Recreation and Parks for taking immediate action and contacting the Norwalk Police Department as soon as they noticed something wasn't right."