FBI-Linked Blue Hills Investigation Raises Questions Near the Social Equity System

CT CannaTimes Staff Team — 4.26.2026

A federal investigation into the collapse of a Hartford nonprofit is raising new oversight questions that now sit uncomfortably close to Connecticut’s cannabis social equity system.

At the center of the issue is a documented overlap between state Sen. Doug McCrory, the now-defunct Blue Hills Civic Association, and Brandon McGee, the current chief executive officer of the Connecticut Social Equity Council — the public body tied to tens of millions of dollars in cannabis-related equity funding.

This article does not allege criminal wrongdoing by McGee. It examines documented connections, public records, and unanswered governance questions.

Blue Hills: A conduit for state money

According to a Connecticut Mirror investigation, internal records show that Sen. Doug McCrory influenced how millions of dollars in state funding were distributed through the Blue Hills Civic Association between 2022 and early 2025. A forensic audit found McCrory helped secure more than $11 million in taxpayer funds for Blue Hills. The nonprofit kept approximately $2.3 million, while the majority was distributed to outside organizations and individuals based on McCrory’s instructions.

The nonprofit’s executive director described Blue Hills in internal communications as a “conduit” through which McCrory could “funnel more funding” into the community. Lists of potential recipients were created under the heading “PER CONVERSATIONS WITH SENATOR MCCRORY.”

Those records have been turned over to auditors and the FBI as part of the ongoing investigation.

A funding list includes “Brandon McGee’s Church”

One internal Blue Hills list outlines a proposed $5 million allocation to “Support Anchor Organizations.”

The listed amounts total $4.5 million. A separate unpriced entry appears on the list as:

“Brandon McGee’s Church.”

The document does not state whether any money was approved, paid, rejected, revised, or redirected to that entry.

The difference between the stated $5 million category and the listed $4.5 million subtotal is $500,000, but no specific amount is assigned to the church entry in the document. That makes the line an unresolved question, not proof of a payment.

McGee’s documented church ties

Public business records identify Brandon McGee as Vice Chair and Director of The Citadel Community Development Corporation, a Connecticut nonprofit formed in 2021.

Separately, Citadel of Love church leadership materials identify Pastor Brandon McGee as Administrative Pastor, with responsibilities including day-to-day activities and financial matters.

Those records make the Blue Hills reference notable because the phrase “Brandon McGee’s Church” appears consistent with institutions where McGee held documented leadership roles.

They do not prove that The Citadel of Love, The Citadel Community Development Corporation, or McGee personally received Blue Hills funds.

Confirmed overlap: Blue Hills money and a McGee-linked event

A separate confirmed connection involves a public event.

The Connecticut Mirror reported that Blue Hills contributed $20,000 to the inaugural “When Black Men Lead” event, which McCrory was credited with hosting alongside Brandon McGee.

McGee told the publication the funds helped pay for scholarships and said he was not informed that the Blue Hills contribution came from state grant funding.

There is no evidence in the public record reviewed here that McGee personally received those funds.

From nonprofit orbit to cannabis oversight

McGee later became chief executive officer of the Connecticut Social Equity Council, the state body responsible for cannabis equity policy, social equity licensing recommendations, workforce development, and community reinvestment.

In March 2025 testimony, McGee stated that the Social Equity and Innovation Fund held $62,303,667 as of March 2, 2025. He also supported shifting the fund into an off-budget account to streamline spending, while stating that oversight mechanisms would remain in place.

That fund is built from cannabis license fees and tax revenue and is intended to support community reinvestment, workforce development, business access to capital, and programs in disproportionately impacted areas.

Why this matters

The issue is not whether McGee has been proven to have done anything wrong. He has not.

The issue is whether state officials properly reviewed potential conflicts before placing McGee in charge of a major cannabis equity funding system.

The overlap is significant:

A federally scrutinized funding network involved Blue Hills and McCrory.

A Blue Hills planning list included the phrase “Brandon McGee’s Church.”

McGee has documented leadership ties to Citadel-affiliated entities.

Blue Hills contributed $20,000 to an event connected to both McCrory and McGee.

McGee later became the head of Connecticut’s cannabis Social Equity Council.

That combination raises a legitimate governance question:

Were potential conflicts identified, disclosed, and reviewed before McGee assumed control of Connecticut’s cannabis social equity funding system?

What remains unanswered

Key questions now facing state officials include:

Was any funding ever directed to The Citadel of Love, The Citadel Community Development Corporation, or any related entity?

What specific legal entity was meant by the phrase “Brandon McGee’s Church”?

Was that proposed allocation approved, rejected, modified, or never acted upon?

Did McGee disclose his Citadel-affiliated roles during his appointment or employment with the Social Equity Council?

Have DECD, OPM, state auditors, or SEC officials reviewed whether McGee-linked entities received public funds through Blue Hills, DECD, or related programs?

Were any potential conflicts documented, screened, or waived?

What is not proven

No public record reviewed here proves that McGee personally received Blue Hills money.

No public record reviewed here proves that McGee’s church or affiliated nonprofit received the unpriced amount listed in the Blue Hills document.

No public record reviewed here proves that McGee committed criminal wrongdoing.

No public record reviewed here proves that cannabis social equity funds were directed to McGee-linked entities.

Bottom line

This is not a criminal allegation against Brandon McGee.

It is a public-money oversight story.

With a federal investigation already examining how millions moved through Blue Hills, the appearance of a church reference tied to the current head of Connecticut’s cannabis social equity system deserves a clear public answer.

The question is simple:

What was disclosed, what was reviewed, and did any public money ever reach McGee-linked entities?