From Savior to Convict, James Duckett Faces Sentencing in Dillon Stadium Fraud

James C. Duckett looked every bit the savior in early October 2015 as he told rapt Hartford City Council members of his plans to build a spectacular soccer complex over the dilapidated remains of Dillon Stadium – all at minimal cost to the city.

Hartford had earmarked $12 million for the project, but Duckett, who had been presented as a wealthy ex-NFL player, brushed aside the millions, grinning as he recounted the moment, months earlier, that he told his business partner: “You know what, Mitch? Let’s let the city have that $12 million. We’re going to bring the funding in to put this thing up.” When he was done speaking, the crowd in the city council chambers erupted in applause.

But as Hartford officials embraced Duckett’s vision that night, his soccer plan was already in shambles, with mounting debts, little prospect of attracting a professional team and serious questions about his claimed sources of private funding. And those same officials were days away from learning that hundreds of thousands of dollars of city money had seemingly vanished.

Today, bright orange netting at Dillon Stadium blocks off decaying bleachers overrun by weeds. And Wednesday, Duckett, 45, is to stand before a federal judge to be sentenced for his role in diverting huge amounts of city cash intended for subcontractors.

It will not be the first time Duckett has faced a judge to learn his fate for committing financial crimes. But city officials knew little of Duckett’s past in February 2015 when he joined the effort to bring professional soccer to the capital city.

They believed that Duckett was a former Washington Redskins football player with successful development projects across the globe and access to enormous amounts of cash. When Duckett, charming and charismatic, declared matter-of-factly that he could tap a $440 million bank account, many in city government wanted to it to be true.

But none of it was.

‘Always A Go-Getter’

James Cecil Duckett Jr. grew up in Huntingtown, Md., and attended Bishop McNamara High School, a private Catholic school a half hour’s drive north near the Washington border.

“He was working three jobs in the summer so he could go to private school,” said his older sister, Danene Tinalon Duckett. “He was always a go-getter. He worked pumping gas and in the cashier booth. He’d work overnight. He would work as many hours as he possibly could.

“He’s not one that tried to obtain fame, but he always tried to attain success.”

Source: The Hartford Courant