A federal lawsuit has been filed against Connecticut State Trooper John Myer and State Police Colonel Daniel Loughman by Gregory Gabriele, a Connecticut resident who alleges Myer stalked him for a number of years, repeatedly abusing his authority while wearing his uniform off duty and leaving Gabriele living in a state of fear, according to the court complaint and a 2023 Internal Affairs investigation that substantiated numerous findings against Myer.

According to both the internal affairs report and the lawsuit, Myer was dating Gabriele’s sister and began a campaign of targeted harassment following a family dispute in 2021, including pulling him over three times, calling local police on him twice, detaining Gabriele for an hour on the side of I-95, confiscating his license plates, and interfering with his medical care, all while off duty and still in uniform and utilizing a state police vehicle.

Myer went so far as to falsely tell Gabriele’s acquaintances that he was under investigation for rape, obtained a list of Gabriele’s prescribed medications from his pharmacy under the false pretense of conducting an investigation, and informed the pharmacist that Gabriele was suspected of prescription drug abuse, after which Gabriele had to undergo a medical evaluation. 

“The investigation has proven beyond a Preponderance of Evidence that TFC John Myer used his position as a sworn Connecticut State Trooper to benefit himself and specifically target Greg Gabriele,” Lt. Darrell Tetreault and Captain Alessandro Giannone wrote in the IA report. “TFC John Myer while off duty, utilized his position to obtain Greg Gabriele’s prescription medication list to see what controlled substances he was currently prescribed. TFC John Myer informed the pharmacist that he was investigating Greg Garbriele for prescription drug abuse.”

The internal affairs investigation included numerous witness statements from other citizens who were roped into Myer’s fake investigation at the CVS pharmacy in Norwalk in January of 2023.  

According to the IA investigation, Myer confronted Gabriele at the pharmacy, and when Gabriele attempted to leave in a car driven by a friend, Myer conducted an “off-duty motor vehicle stop,” detaining them both. Myer then returns to the pharmacy, gets into another confrontation with Gabriele, who returns to get his own vehicle. Myer then tries to convince Norwalk police officers and a fellow state trooper to arrest Gabriele for misuse of Florida dealer license plates; they all decline to do so.

 “TFC John Myer out of frustration issues a misdemeanor summons to Greg Gabriele for three (3) motor vehicle charges, seizes the Florida dealer plate, and tows Greg Gabriele’s vehicle,” Tetreault and Giannone wrote. Of particular note, Myer never turned in Gabriele’s license plates to the state police as required and instead kept them for himself.

Myer returned to the pharmacy five days later in uniform, obtained Gabriele’s prescription list, and falsely informed the pharmacist Gabriele was abusing his prescriptions. Gabriele lost access to his medication and had to undergo a medical evaluation to get them re-prescribed.

“During this time, Greg Gabriele goes several days without his medications,” the IA reports says. “All of these events ultimately cause Greg Gabriele to check himself into a rehabilitation facility for over a month, due to the significant stress caused by TFC John Myer.”

Weeks after the CVS incident, Myer spotted Gabriele driving on the highway and pulled him over while off duty. Myer then kept Gabriele on the side of I-95 for fifty-three minutes to discuss “personal grievances,” including making phone calls to other individuals.

“A motor vehicle-stop for that length of time on the shoulder of I-95 puts the safety of TFC John Myer, Greg Gabriele, and the public all at risk,” the IA reports states. “It was also discovered at the time of the interview, that TFC Myer was still in possession of Greg Gabriele’s seized Florida dealer registration plates and has not properly turned them in per Connecticut State Police policy and procedure.”

According to the lawsuit, Gabriele had made an initial complaint about Myer’s conduct following incidents in 2021, but IA did not sustain those complaints. Myer continued to target Gabriele while the initial IA complaint was pending, including attempting twice to get the local police to take enforcement action against Gabriele. Gabriele filed the second complaint following the incident at the Norwalk pharmacy.

Despite Internal Affairs sustaining six findings against Myer in July of 2023, he was only given a 45-day suspension by Colonel Laughman. Myer, who was hired in October of 2004, was allowed to keep working through 2024 to reach twenty years and make him eligible for a full pension.

According to the state’s open records website, Myer was hired in October of 2004 and left state service in January of 2025. He received $146,000 in pay and overtime in 2023, which was his highest paid year, but was moved to an administrative position and his pay dropped down to only $72,000 in 2024. Myer was last paid by the state in January of 2025 and is reportedly on workers’ compensation, but has not yet retired.

Colonel Loughman, who is being sued in both his personal and professional capacity, was the commanding officer in charge of the state police internal affairs department during both investigations into Myer’s conduct and personally reviewed the reports. Loughman was then promoted to Colonel, where he was placed in charge of Myer’s discipline. The lawsuit alleges Myer should have been terminated and reported to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

“By retaining TFC Myer as a CSP sworn officer, Col. Loughman created a foreseeable and ongoing risk to Plaintiff… and the general public, including the risk of further abuse of authority, retaliatory enforcement, improper access to confidential information, and deprivation of constitutional and statutory rights, all of which were known or should have been known during the investigation and resolution of the Plaintiff’s complaints,” wrote attorney Rachel Baird.

The lawsuit names thirteen counts against Myer and Loughman, many on constitutional grounds involving the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth amendments; CVS and the pharmacist is also named in the lawsuit for invasion of privacy and breach of confidentiality.

Gabriele, who is currently incarcerated on a parole violation, had previous convictions for operating a drug factory and second degree strangulation in 2018, along with misdemeanor larceny, and several misdemeanor arrests in 2023 — the time during which Myer was harassing him — for misuse of license plates, and was convicted in 2025.

In his second complaint to IA, Gabriele outlined that he was fearful of Myer’s conduct and that he was conducting these actions under the protection and authority of a law enforcement officer.

“John Myer has targeted, harassed, and stalked me for almost two years,” Gabriele wrote in his complaint to IA. “I am fearful due to John Myer’s position and badge, I’m in further danger of repercussions from him now since reporting these incidents.”

**This article was updated to reflect Gregory Gabriele’s conviction history**

Republish This Story

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.