Three Men Charged with Federal Marijuana Trafficking Offenses

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a three-count indictment today charging ROBERT CAPELLI, 31, of Milford; SCOTT BODNAR, also known as “Pep,” 38, of Ansonia, and DONALD BURNS, 59, of Milford, with trafficking marijuana by airplane into Connecticut.

According to allegations contained in court documents, in 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating a Piper single-engine aircraft, owned by BURNS, that was making regular flights between Stratford, Connecticut, and northern California via the southwest United States. On June 28, 2017, BURNS flew the aircraft from northern California to Lubbock, Texas. On June 29, BURNS flew the aircraft from Texas to Arkansas, and then to West Virginia and Connecticut, where he landed in the evening at Sikorsky Airport in Stratford. A law enforcement search of the plane revealed approximately 400 kilograms of marijuana in vacuum-sealed packages contained in a duffel bag. The investigation revealed that the marijuana was intended for CAPELLI and BODNAR. Later that day, agents conducted a controlled to delivery of the marijuana to CAPELLI and BODNAR at a location in Derby, where they were arrested.

It is alleged that from 2015 to June 2017, CAPELLI, BODNAR and BURNS trafficked more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana from California to Connecticut.

The indictment charges the three defendants with one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, an offense that carries a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life. The indictment also charges the three defendants with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana on board an aircraft registered in the U.S., and one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, offenses that carry a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, on each count.

CAPELLI, BODNAR and BURNS were initially charged by criminal complaint and are released on bond.

U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP), and the Stratford, Bridgeport and Derby Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Kale.