West Haven Hockey Fundraiser Scandal
Salvatore Carfora, a 55‑year‑old resident of West Haven, Connecticut, now faces a first‑degree larceny charge after investigators say he siphoned money from a Facebook fundraiser that was supposed to fund the city’s high school hockey program.
The campaign, dubbed “The Wheel,” was promoted on a dedicated Facebook page and through a linked Venmo account, where participants were told that each contribution would go toward equipment, ice time and travel costs for the West Haven High School varsity squad. Coach estimates that between $50,000 and $60,000 were actually spent on legitimate team expenses, but a large portion of the cash never reached the program.
Financial Trail and Forensic Findings
A forensic audit of 15,667 pages of Facebook records and two years of financial data from Venmo and TD Bank revealed that roughly $460,000 passed through the accounts between August 2020 and May 2022. Of that, about $208,000 was paid out to raffle winners, another $109,000 was spent using a Venmo debit card, and more than $133,000 was transferred to Carfora’s personal bank account. The audit concluded that $105,223.50 could not be traced to either the hockey program or the Penalty Box Club’s official account.
Because many of the alleged transactions occurred before April 15, 2021, they fall outside the state’s five‑year statute of limitations. Prosecutors can only pursue alleged thefts that took place after that date, and club officers estimate that more than $39,000 remains unaccounted for from that period.
Legal Limits and Upcoming Hearing
Carfora resisted requests for records and, in January 2022, renamed the Facebook page to “Helping Hands for High School Sports” as the scrutiny intensified. He has entered no plea to the felony charge and will appear again in Superior Court in Milford on August 3.