Former New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson was arrested Friday for allegedly stealing $85,500 from two city funds — one meant for paying confidential informants, the other meant for the city’s youth sports Police Activity League.
A press release sent out by the state’s attorney’s office Friday afternoon confirmed Jacobson’s arrest on two counts of larceny in the first degree by defrauding a public community, in violation of state statutes § 53a-122(a)(3).
The press release also stated that no other city cops appear to have been involved in Jacobson’s alleged theft of city funds.
Attorney Gregory Cerritelli told the Independent that he accompanied Jacobson to the state police Troop E barracks in Montville as Jacobson turned himself in.
Cerritelli said that Jacobson’s arrest came with a $150,000 court-set bond. “He posted bond at the barracks and was released.”
Cerritelli — who also represented now-fired former police Sgt. Betsy Segui when she was arrested for her role in an incident that saw Richard “Randy” Cox sustain paralyzing injuries while in police custody — added that he hasn’t yet seen the arrest warrant affidavit in Jacobson’s case. He also hasn’t received any discovery from the state, he said.
“I will remind everyone that an arrest is not evidence of guilt and allegations are not proof,” Cerritelli said. “This is the beginning of a very long process. I urge everyone to keep an open mind and avoid a rush to judgment.”
Jacobson’s arrest comes roughly a month and a half after he abruptly retired on Jan. 5 after the city’s three assistant chiefs confronted him about stealing money from a cash fund that police use to pay confidential informants who help cops solve crimes. Jacobson allegedly confessed that he had stolen $10,000.
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The state’s attorney’s press release — sent out at 1:58 p.m. Friday — provided the most detail to date about Jacobson’s alleged theft. It also includes a number significantly higher than the $10,000 that Mayor Elicker had previously said Jacobson had admitted to stealing.
According to the press release, “The investigation revealed that $81,500 was unaccounted for or misappropriated from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic Enforcement Program Fund between January 1, 2024, and January 5, 2026. This fund, which is supported by the City of New Haven’s General Fund, is used to pay confidential informants who assist in narcotics investigations. … Further investigation showed that two checks totaling $4,000 were embezzled from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund between December 23 and December 24, 2025. Both checks were found in the defendant’s personal checking account. …
“After an extensive review, investigators determined that no other members of the New Haven Police Department were involved or acted as co-conspirators in the misuse of these funds.”
On Thursday, Mayor Justin Elicker and Acting Police Chief David Zannelli — who served for a year in the assistant chief role responsible for managing the confidential-informant (CI) fund before Jacobson’s resignation — announced that the police department has adopted a new CI policy with more safeguards to prevent the type of misuse Jacobson is accused of. Zannelli has said that he and his colleagues repeatedly asked Jacobson for control of the CI fund, but that Jacobson consistently declined.
Jacobson did not respond to a request for comment by the publication time of this article.
New Britain State’s Attorney Christian Watson oversaw the investigation alongside state police. In Friday’s press release, he thanked Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Sebastian Wordell “for his thorough investigation and to Acting New Haven Police Chief David Zannelli and his staff for their full and transparent cooperation throughout the investigation.”
“An allegation of embezzlement by a police official is a serious matter and potentially undermines public confidence in the criminal justice system,” Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin is quoted as saying in the release.
Paul Bass contributed to this report.