Former Connecticut Police Chief Arrested Over Alleged $85,000 Theft

The former cops chief in New Haven, Connecticut, was arrested Friday on larceny charges following allegations he stole $85,000 from 2 department accounts.


Karl Jacobson, 56, who abruptly retired from the department in January, turned himself in on an arrest warrant. He was later released on a court-set bond of $150,000, a state district attorney said in a press release. Jacobson deals with 2 counts of larceny related to defrauding a public community.


"An accusation of embezzlement by a police official is a major matter and potentially weakens public self-confidence in the criminal justice system," Chief State's Attorney Patrick J. Griffin stated in a declaration.


Jacobson's attorney, Gregory Cerritelli, said he might not respond to the particular claims yet however reminded the public that "an arrest is not evidence of guilt and accusations are not evidence."


"This is the start of a long process," he stated in an emailed statement. "I advise everyone to keep an open mind and prevent a rush to judgment."


Last month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when revealing Jacobson's retirement, said the former chief admitted he took money from a city fund that compensates private informants for assisting authorities resolve crimes.


Elicker said the former taking the funds for personal usage when three of his deputies confronted him over the financial abnormalities. According to the arrest warrant, Jacobson informed the deputies he was spending too much money on sports wagering apps, was looking for assistance for a betting dependency and intended to change the cash.


During the taped discussion, Jacobson asked forgiveness and asked the deputies "for a chance to save myself" so he could prevent going to jail and losing his pension, according to the warrant.


Investigators figured out that Jacobson wagered more than $4.4 million on his DraftKings and FanDuel accounts in between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2026. He won more than $4.2 million but lost more than $214,000. Jacobson made $180,000 a year as cops chief.


The mayor called the claims "stunning" during a Friday news conference and said Jacobson at first confessed taking $10,000 from just one cops account.


"We didn't know how deep this went," Elicker said, keeping in mind the case remains under investigation.


"It ´ s a really sad day for the city to see a chief, who was beloved by so many individuals, jailed for a theft of public cash and also money that was planned for kids," Elicker stated. Jacobson is implicated of likewise taking money from the authorities athletic league, which provides a series of programs for the city's youth.


Jacobson had served for 3 years as police chief in among Connecticut ´ s largest cities, which is home to Yale University. He took office in July 2022, just weeks after a Black male was disabled in the back of a paddy wagon in an event that roiled the cops department and the city.


The state prosecutor's workplace stated Friday the city of New Haven first reported the embezzlement allegations on Jan. 5, which triggered an examination by the Connecticut State Police. The probe revealed $81,500 was unaccounted for or misappropriated from the New Haven Police Department Narcotic Enforcement Fund between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2026. Money from the fund is used to pay personal informants who help in narcotics investigations.


"The accused had access to cash in that fund," according to a press release, which said bank records revealed checks associated with the fund were transferred into Jacobson's personal monitoring account.


Two checks totaling $4,000 were likewise withdrawn from the New Haven Police Activity League Fund between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2025. The district attorney's office stated both were found in Jacobson's personal account. Investigators stated no one else at the cops department was associated with the matter.


Jacobson had actually been with the department for 15 years before being named chief. He previously served in the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island for nine years.