Success Village, a housing cooperative located on the border of Bridgeport and Stratford, has been in the news repeatedly in recent years. 

The hundreds of co-op members living in the community lost their heat in the middle of winter in 2024, and shortly after, officials in Bridgeport and Stratford filed a case in court, asking a judge to appoint an attorney to take over the housing complex’s finances. 

Now, more than two years later, federal prosecutors have found that the co-op and its members were victims of fraud and conspiracy. 

In the past month, three people have pleaded guilty to taking part in a kickback scheme that resulted in millions of dollars being stolen from the co-op and its members. And federal court records suggest that more criminal charges could soon be filed. 

Here’s what to know about what’s happened so far in the investigation and how much money was involved. 

Who was charged and why? 

Federal prosecutors have charged three people thus far with participating in the alleged conspiracy to siphon off money from the co-op’s bank accounts. That includes the complex’s former general manager, Charles Pitcher, and Richard Messina and Carmine Gentile, two contractors whose companies were paid to perform work at the co-op property. 

All three men have entered plea deals in federal court acknowledging their involvement in a yearslong scheme, which prosecutors say drained the co-op’s bank accounts and left the organization unable to pay for needed repairs.

Prosecutors allege that between June 2022 and September 2024, Messina and Gentile submitted fraudulent or inflated invoices for work at Success Village and later diverted roughly 20% of those payments back to Pitcher and “person-2,” another unnamed co-conspirator who is identified in court records as the co-op’s president. 

How did the alleged scheme work?

Success Village Apartments Inc. is a residential cooperative with 96 buildings and 924 units. Residents pay monthly common charges intended to cover expenses, including heat and hot water.

Pitcher was appointed general manager in May 2022 and was paid $250,000 per year in that position, according to court documents. At the same time, Pitcher also owned and controlled two companies, Real Estate Company of New England LLC and Pitcher Enterprises LLC.

According to prosecutors, Messina and Gentile used the other businesses owned by Pitcher to redirect part of the money they received through contracts with Success Village. 

To conceal the payments, Messina and Gentile allegedly submitted invoices for work that was never performed or charged artificially inflated prices. The documents also describe unreasonable markups and charges for goods and services that were not provided.

The contractors then allegedly made payments to Pitcher and “person- 2” through cash, electronic transfers and checks. Some of the checks that were written to Pitcher’s company included descriptions such as consulting, construction management and project management. 

How much money was involved?

Altogether, prosecutors alleged that the two contractors netted more than $2.7 million from the co-op and allegedly kicked back more than half a million dollars of that money to Pitcher and “person-2,” the co-op’s former president. While the criminal complaints don’t identify “person- 2,” the description in the court records only fits one person: Tyreke Bird, the former president of Success Village. 

Prosecutors also alleged that Pitcher received at least $232,479 in purported “consulting fees” from Success Village for services he did not perform.

As part of their plea agreements, Pitcher agreed to pay at least $2.5 million in restitution, while Gentile and Messina each agreed to pay at least $1.5 million. The agreements also include forfeiture of payments to the government.

These amounts are part of the plea agreements and should not be treated as a final accounting of all losses to Success Village.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Will anyone else be charged?  

There have been some clues that suggest Bird could become a target of the federal criminal investigation. 

In May, federal agents executed a search warrant at Bird’s residence. The FBI declined to comment on the investigation at the time, and the public reporting did not establish what evidence agents were seeking.

Bird has not been formally charged or accused of committing any crimes at this point. But federal prosecutors made it clear in press releases that the criminal investigation tied to Success Village is not over.