Jonathan Dach violated a number of Department of Administrative Services (DAS) regulations that prohibit the personal use of state vehicles and also restrict where pool cars can park and how they must be fueled during his time as Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief of staff. Goodwin & Shipman LLP recently released their findings after Lamont commissioned an independent investigation following reporting by Inside Investigator that broke news Dach had used state vehicles to travel over 12,000 miles for personal reasons.

According to the report, Dach initially denied knowing about the vehicle use policy and said he “first learned about it after the media report about his vehicle use.” Dach “then clarified that he knew there were policies regarding vehicle usage but was not aware that they applied to his use.”

Dach served as Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief of staff between January 4, 2023, and July 4, 2024. He then became a senior advisor.

During Dach’s tenure as chief of staff, the governor’s office had two pool vehicles for general use, including a 2020 Ford Escape. According to the investigation, Dach was “the primary, and virtually exclusive” owner of the Escape during that time. He also “did not own or lease a personal vehicle and the principal vehicle that he utilized for both business and personal use was the Escape.”

The investigation found that Dach began using a Ford Escape assigned to the DAS pool on January 20, 2023, and continued to use it through September 20, 2024, including after he transitioned from Lamont’s chief of staff to a senior advisor.

During both periods of employment, Dach was required to park the car at the Legislative Office Building garage at the Capitol and was prohibited from parking it on the street except in emergencies. The investigation also found that Dach did not seek or receive approval from either DAS or OTG ATA to park the Escape anywhere else, including at his home in New Haven or later in Hartford.

The Escape was a pool vehicle, intended for general use and not Dach’s personal use. Neither DAS nor OTG made any request for DAS to assign Dach a vehicle for “home or office use.” The report also found Dach violated policies requiring state vehicles to be used only for official state business and requiring fuel to be purchased at state fuel stations.

In addition, the report found Dach exceeded the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour on 200 trips and suggested the office of the governor should consider suspending or revoking Dach’s ability to operate a state vehicle.

Dach violated DAS General Letter No. 115, Policy for Motor Vehicles Used for State Business, which applies to all executive branch agencies except for the state police. GL 115 requires drivers to use state-owned vehicles “only to conduct official state businesses” and prohibits personal use of a vehicle. It also requires state vehicles to be parked overnight at a state-owned or leased facility at the official duty station of the principal driver. Overnight parking at an employee’s home in specific circumstances requires the approval of the executive branch agency. It also requires them to maintain records documenting the decision’s justification.

“Dach violated GL 115 by utilizing the Escape for personal use, using it to commute to and from work, parking it in prohibited locations, purchasing fuel with state funds, and speeding.” the investigation concluded. Dach may also have violated the state code of ethics, including a statute that prohibits public officials from using public office for personal gain.

Investigators also found the governor’s office had insufficient processes and oversight of vehicle use. Shipman & Goodwin stated the governor’s office should forward their findings to the Auditors of Public Accounts and the Office of State Ethics and should also seek reimbursements and impose “appropriate discipline.” Media reports from late last week anticipated Dach would resign when the report was released.

Inside Investigator first reported on Dach’s use of a state vehicle for personal use on November 24, 2024. Shipman & Goodwin’s report confirmed much of Inside Investigator’s reporting, which analyzed telemetry data and found Dach had driven the Escape to the beach, grocery stores, doctors’ offices, pizza runs, restaurants, private residences, tourist destinations, out of state destinations, and a Dave Matthew’s concert at the Xfinity Theater. The data also showed Dach drove over 100 miles per hour on three occasions. Additionally, in a separate investigation, Inside Investigator found that time sheets showed Dach was reporting his time as in the office when he was traveling.

The investigation report found Dach used the Escape for 564 trips during his time as chief of staff. Due to a lack of vehicle logs, the investigators were not able to determine who made another 16 trips the vehicle was used for. Dach also made an additional 82 trips in the vehicle after he transitioned to a senior advisor. The investigation found 322 trips Dach made for personal reasons, inclusive of when he commuted to and from his home while he served as Lamont’s chief of staff.

Investigators also identified 16 trips made by Dach that reached or exceeded 75 miles per hour and 7 trips that reached or exceeded 85 miles per hour.

According to the report, Dach acknowledged using the Escape for personal trips, including to New York, and for errands such as grocery shopping. He also acknowledged leaving the vehicle parked in a garage in New Haven for 45 days without asking for permission. He further told investigators he did not use the state filling stations for gas and instead used his personal credit card, rather than his P-Card, to pay for gas.

He also told investigators that his then-girlfriend sometimes traveled with him when he used the Escape for personal use. He also acknowledged that he sped while driving the car, though he expressed surprise that he exceeded 90 miles per hour.

The investigation found that while Dach stated he was not aware of the GL 115 policy, he received an appointment letter when he was onboarded in the governor’s office that contained a link to orientation training he was required to complete. That training included the Office of Policy and Management’s Use of State Resources Policy, which states that state resources are only to be used for state business. According to the investigation, there is “no evidence” that Dach complied with the orientation program requirements. The governor’s office also has an orientation process that references GL 115 and requires employees to acknowledge the policy. However, the investigators found there was no evidence in Dach’s personal file showing he had completed the orientation process.

The investigation found that on October 14, 2023, DAS’ commissioner forwarded Dach an email that gave updates on milestones Fleet Services had reached. The email included an update to the GL 115 policy. Dach responded to the email but told investigators he “likely did not read the GL 115 in connection with the email.”

“Nevertheless, it is evident that he was made aware that there was a vehicle use policy.” the investigation states. Investigators also found that, as chief of staff, Dach “knew or should have known” about GL 115 and that he was responsible for complying with it.

“We further believe it to be common sense that one cannot use state property for personal activities without any approval or accountability.” investigators wrote.

Dach also told investigators that his job as chief of staff was “24/7” and that most of the trips were “either official in nature, incidental stops to official business, or in the interest of being able to hold confidential phone calls on the way.” He also said that almost all commuting while he was chief of staff “was spent on the phone for work purposes.” Dach also offered to make “restitution as appropriate” for his personal use of the vehicle.

Those comments echo comments by Lamont and other members of the administration, who have spoken in Dach’s defense since the story first broke. At a November 26, 2024, press conference on road safety held ahead of Thanksgiving travel, Lamont was asked about the allegations against Dach. While he expressed concern over the speeding, he was also adamant that because the vehicle is accessible to multiple people within the governor’s office, “we don’t know who did the speeding.”

He further said that Dachs “goes 24/7” and his office goes where he does, but “if there’s any personal use of that car, we ought to make sure amends are made.”

The governor’s office issued a press release on the findings of the investigation on June 2 but did not distribute it to their email list, as they do with other press releases.

The press release did not mention Dach by name.

“I asked for an investigation to be conducted by an independent firm because I believe the people of Connecticut deserve transparency and accountability from their government, and I remind my team every day that we need to lead by example,” Lamont said in the press release. “To correct this issue and ensure better accountability, my office immediately adopted internal controls and policies around acceptable use of state vehicles and returned pooled vehicles to DAS.”

According to the press release, the two fleet vehicles assigned to the governor’s office were returned to DAS last month and the governor’s office no longer has motor vehicles assigned to it.

Sens. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, and Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, said in a statement that the investigation was “more embarassment” for the governor and called the investigation, which had an approximately $73,000 price tag, an “alarming misuse of state taxpayer dollars.”

“Connecticut taxpayers paid nearly $73,000 for this report? Why didn’t Gov. Lamont just deal with it and hold his staff accountable? Then again, Gov. Lamont referred to his CSCU Chancellor’s big appetite for taxpayer funded $60 steaks and chauffeured rides as mere ‘small ball.’ Republicans continue to push for accountability and transparency in all corners of state government. Waste, fraud and abuse must be eliminated.” Harding and Sampson said.

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