The operator of a nursing home group based in Bridgeport and Waterbury was sentenced to two and one-half years in prison Tuesday for embezzling millions of dollars from his employee benefit plans, leaving employees without health coverage and retirees struggling with delays in pension pay outs.
Federal prosecutors said Chaim Stern, 72, of New York diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars to personal expenses. But they said Stern diverted far more to a faith-based charity he controlled in New York in an effort to maintain his position as a leader in his Hasidic community.
Stern faced from 70 to 87 months in prison under the sentencing scheme use in federal court.