Copyright Hartford Courant
The leader of a small nonprofit sent Connecticut officials a sharply worded email in 2023 alleging that she was coerced into sharing a $5 million state economic development grant with a woman who was in a relationship with Sen. Doug McCrory, D-Hartford. Records obtained by the Connecticut Mirror show that Sabrina Tucker-Barrett, the founder of Girls For Technology, informed two high-ranking employees at the state Department of Economic and Community Development on Aug. 8, 2023 that she had recently learned about the connection between McCrory and Sonserae Cicero, the owner of another nonprofit called Society of Human Engagement and Business Alignment. Tucker-Barrett told them she was uncomfortable partnering with Cicero on the state grant, which was meant to provide coaching and support to small minority-owned businesses in Hartford and other parts of Connecticut. “I am writing to address a significant issue related to the proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the Society of Human Engagement and Business Alignment (SHEBA). Upon further examination, we’ve found that we entered into this partnership based on false representation,” Tucker-Barrett wrote. “We have recently discovered a potential conflict of interest concerning the relationship between Sonsorae Cicero of SHEBA and Sen. McCrory. The nature and timing of this discovery have raised concerns, and I must admit I feel a degree of political coercion in proceeding with matters I do not fully agree with,” she added. That email, along with thousands of other records from DECD, are now in the possession of a federal grand jury that is criminally investigating McCrory, Cicero and a host of other nonprofits serving Hartford’s north end. Tucker-Barrett declined to comment Monday on the allegations contained in the email, which was sent to DECD’s deputy commissioner Paul O. Robertson and Sheila Hummel, the director of the agency’s Small Business Development Office. The email is likely to add to the political controversy swirling around McCrory and raise additional questions about how millions of dollars in state grant funds were allocated and spent in Connecticut in recent years. Neither Cicero nor McCrory, who has served in the legislature since 2005, responded to requests for comment this week. Federal investigators asked DECD this year to turn over any records that mention a “personal or non-professional relationship” between McCrory and Cicero, and they issued several grand jury subpoenas to other local non-profits with which McCrory interacted. Records obtained by CT Mirror and other news outlets in recent months show McCrory helped set up meetings for Cicero, including a face-to-face with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, and he advocated on her behalf for funding, including grants that flowed through the state Department of Education. But the email that Tucker-Barrett sent to DECD in August 2023 is the first message reported that explicitly mentions political pressure and conflict of interest since the federal criminal investigation became public. It’s also the first evidence that state officials had been warned years ago that McCrory and Cicero were in a relationship. CT Mirror sent specific questions to Robertson and Hummel, who worked directly with Cicero and McCrory in recent years, that they declined to answer, referring questions to DECD spokesman James Watson. Watson, who received CT Mirror’s questions on Sunday, said Monday they were working on a statement but it would not be available until Tuesday. A spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said they had no knowledge of Tucker-Barrett’s email. Records show Tucker-Barrett later signed the memorandum of understanding with SHEBA in order to obtain the state grant funding for her nonprofit, but she did so only after repeated protests over the course of several months. She complained to DECD officials that Cicero wanted to be an equal party on the economic development grant, even though SHEBA was only supposed to be a “contractor.” After explaining the potential conflict between McCrory and Cicero, Tucker-Barrett told the DECD officials that her preference was to completely separate her contract from SHEBA. But that was not how the situation played out. Robertson and Hummel told Tucker-Barrett by that point the state was not willing to release the grant funds until she had a fully executed contract with SHEBA. Tucker-Barrett also apparently needed the money. She told state officials in July 2023 that her nonprofit needed the grant funds to help cover her ongoing operations and start the new small business programs. “These funds are critical to our cash flow and our ability to cover ongoing expenses,” she told them. Emails show Robertson and Hummel held several meetings with Tucker-Barrett and Cicero in late August in order to reach a deal between the two nonprofits, in which SHEBA would receive $2 million over a five-year period. But even as they prepared to sign the final contract, Tucker-Barrett continued to ask for revisions in order to distance herself from Cicero. In an email on Aug. 27, 2023, Tucker-Barrett told DECD officials she was unwilling to co-produce a monthly podcast with Cicero about local entrepreneurs or collaborate on the business pitch competitions the state was paying for. Robertson responded to that email by telling Tucker-Barrett to “wrap this up.” DECD declined to say whether Robertson or Hummel ever told anyone else in Lamont’s administration about the allegations Tucker-Barrett leveled against McCrory and Cicero. But the records show Cicero contacted Robertson the same day that Tucker-Barrett sent him the email alleging that she was the victim of political coercion. Cicero and Robertson then scheduled a private Teams meeting to discuss the situation. Girls for Technology was not the only nonprofit that entered a partnership with SHEBA in 2023. Emails and other records show Cicero also finalized another deal earlier that year to work with HEDCO, the Hartford Economic Development Corporation, in administering a program in which minority business owners could apply for forgivable loans of up to $50,000. According to the agreement that was struck, SHEBA was expected to run the minority-owned businesses through a “certification program” that she created and assist them in applying for the forgivable loans. There is no evidence in records from DECD suggesting HEDCO felt pressured to partner with Cicero. Kim Hawkins, the CEO of HEDCO, did not respond to a request for comment for this story. But the documents do show McCrory played a direct role in authorizing that partnership and reallocating $300,000 in state funds that went to Cicero and her nonprofit. As a member of a small board known as the Minority Business Initiative Advisory Council, McCrory voted in April 2022 to pay SHEBA that money. And emails show the state senator set up meetings with Cicero and the leaders of HEDCO repeatedly. By the fall of 2023, there were signs suggesting McCrory and Cicero were closely acquainted with one another. When DECD invited state officials and business leaders to a football game on Sept. 23, 2023 between the University of Connecticut and Duke University, Hummel noted that Cicero received two tickets. And she told Robertson that Cicero was “probably bringing Doug,” referring to McCrory. Social media posts reviewed by the CT Mirror also show that McCrory attended a 50th birthday celebration for Cicero that was held at the Capital Grille in Hartford in November 2022. McCrory has declined to address questions about his relationship with Cicero, but Hearst Connecticut Media has reported that the FBI have questioned people about whether the two live together in a home in Bloomfield. Meanwhile, SHEBA’s partnerships with Girls For Technology and HEDCO continued into this year. But in May, emails show, Cicero expressed concerns that her work with DECD could come to an end. As journalists began asking questions about McCrory and other nonprofits in Hartford, records show that Cicero contacted Robertson, as well as DECD Commissioner Dan O’Keefe, to ask them to meet with her. “I’m requesting a meeting to chat with you about the work I’m currently doing in the community and the support I’m receiving from my collaborations and partnership with DECD,” Cicero wrote to O’Keefe. “I understand things are extremely busy for you and promise not to take too much of your time but would love to calibrate my thinking around a few things as well as create a way forward for SHEBA amid the shadow of the rumor mill,” she added. O’Keefe later forwarded that email to Hummel, who asked to brief Robertson and the commissioner before any meeting was held. “Let’s huddle internally before you meet,” Hummel said. Dave Altimari is a reporter for the Connecticut Mirror. Copyright 2025 @ CT Mirror (ctmirror.org).
