Stamford Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Cocaine

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that Elliot Chiappetta, 61, of Stamford, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 60 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for distributing cocaine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Chiappetta was part of a drug trafficking ring based in Stamford in 2009 and 2010. The investigation, which included the use of court-authorized wiretaps and physical surveillance, revealed that Chiappetta and his co-conspirators acquired cocaine and sold it in smaller quantities to customers in Fairfield County. In April 2010, Chiappetta traveled with a co-conspirator to southern Florida to obtain a kilogram of cocaine from their source of supply.

On January 28, 2013, Chiappetta pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 500 grams or more of cocaine.

Chiappetta’s criminal history includes state felony convictions in 1992 for sale of narcotics and possession of narcotics and a federal conviction in 2004 for conspiring to conduct an illegal gambling business.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force and the Stamford Police Department. The task force is composed of members of the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hal Chen.