Hartford Courant
David Owens
Bruce Bemer, the Glastonbury business mogul charged in a sex ring operation involving troubled young men, Wednesday rejected a judge’s offer of a plea deal that could have spared him prison.
Bemer, 64, is charged with patronizing a trafficked person. He is free on $500,000 bail.
On Wednesday, Danbury Superior Court Judge Susan Reynolds offered Bemer a deal that would have resulted in him withdrawing his not guilty plea and receiving a suspended sentence and probation. Reynolds told Bemer that she would order a pre-sentence investigation and that if she decided based on the report to require incarceration, he could re-enter the not guilty plea.
Bemer opted for a jury trial, Reynolds withdrew her offer and Bemer’s case was moved to the trial list. If convicted at trial, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
Bemer’s defense attorney, Anthony Spinella of Manchester, said after court that there are serious weaknesses in the state’s case. “First and foremost, the alleged plaintiffs have severe mental health and drug problems,” Spinella said. “We think that’s going to seriously impede their credibility.”
Two of the alleged victims have died, Spinella said, and several others have been in and out of jail since Bemer’s arrest. “Their case is getting weaker by the day,” Spinella said.
Lawyers for several men who claim in civil lawsuits that Bemer sexually abused them said they were shocked Bemer turned down the judge’s plea offer, but said they were happy he did because their clients want to see Bemer in prison.
“My clients were totally opposed to any disposition without jail time,” said Joel Faxon, a New Haven lawyer who represents eight men who say Bemer abused them. Had Bemer pleaded, evidence of abuse would have presented at the sentencing hearing.
“That being said, it was crazy for him not to accept the judge’s offer of no jail time because now I would expect him to spend potentially decades in jail after he’s convicted.” Faxon said.
Kevin Ferry, a New Britain lawyer representing three men who say Bemer abused them, said he was shocked Bemer did not accept their judge’s offer. But he said he is happy for his clients, who would have been furious with the criminal justice system, the prosecutor and the judge if Bemer got no jail.
Spinella dismissed the comments of the civil attorneys and said he does not believe they want their clients to have to testify in a criminal trial. “What they wanted was a guilty plea so they could use it against [Bemer] in court,” Spinella said. “A trial is going to put the credibility of their clients at issue. With a guilty plea … their credibility never would have been tested.”
The judges offer of a suspended sentence and probation, Spinella added, shows that the evidence does not support the charge against Bemer. “I believe my client will not be convicted of these charges,” he said.
Bemer is owner of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. He also owns numerous other businesses, including Skylark Airpark in East Windsor, Bemer Petroleum, motorcycle dealerships and Bemer Gas & Welding Supplies in Glastonbury.
The majority of human trafficking cases are tried in federal court, but Bemer and a co-defendant, William Trefzger, were arrested through the Danbury State’s Attorney’s office on state charges under a Connecticut law passed four years ago that makes patronizing a trafficked person a state crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
He is also being sued by some of the accusers and has agreed to put up $25 million in assets to cover his potential liabilities.
Police have said at least two of the 15 male accusers were under state-funded care, with deep psychiatric disabilities and drug addictions.
The alleged ringleader was Robert King of Danbury, a convicted drug dealer and accused pimp who once lived in Manchester, police said. King is accused of plying vulnerable victims with cash and cocaine.