A rising Democratic star in Connecticut politics was caught shoplifting at a Target—and he’s blaming everything from a sick grandmother to missing shopping bags for the mess.
State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, 33, was arrested Monday evening after loss prevention officers at the Bethel, Connecticut Target nabbed him allegedly skipping the scan on two items at the self-checkout. The total value? Just $26.69. But the political fallout could cost a lot more.
According to a police report cited by CT Mirror, store staff recognized Allie-Brennan from “previous unreported larcenies.” This time, however, cameras caught the act, and Target decided it was time to act.
“It was only two items,” Allie-Brennan explained in a now widely circulated Facebook post. “I was in a rush to bring supplies to my grandmother, who is in the hospital. The store had no bags, and I was juggling a bunch of stuff.”
But critics aren’t buying it—literally or figuratively.
“Excuses don’t mean much when you’re a public servant who just got caught with unpaid merchandise in your hands,” said retired Bethel resident and registered Democrat Karen Fields. “We’re expected to follow the law, and so should he.”
Allie-Brennan, who was first elected in 2018 and now serves his fourth term in the Connecticut General Assembly, insists this was a “mistake.” He claims to have no prior record and is “working through the legal process.”
Still, questions are swirling. Target’s security team reportedly flagged the representative based on prior suspicious behavior that had gone unreported—until now.
“It’s concerning that a lawmaker is being linked to multiple incidents of theft, even if they weren’t formally reported,” said Alex Torres, a Connecticut-based political analyst. “This isn’t a good look, especially going into an election cycle.”
House Speaker Matt Ritter issued a cautious statement: “He recognizes the high standard to which I hold our members and is taking responsibility for inadvertently leaving the Target self-checkout without scanning several items.”
But even Ritter’s wording—“inadvertently”—seemed to walk the line between defense and damage control.
Allie-Brennan hasn’t spoken to media since the arrest, and he ignored a request for comment from The New York Post.
With court proceedings looming, his political future is anything but certain. One thing’s for sure: the voters in his district won’t forget this red-shirt moment any time soon.
Correctional reformer, environmental advocate, and now—alleged shoplifter? The voters will decide.
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Allie-Brennan is your typical Democrat who believes the rules are for everyone else — but him! Just ask the last administration under Biden, who made up the rules as he pretended to be President!! No wonder the U.S. was in such a mess when DJT took over!
It’s the 29th Amendment: Laws don’t apply to Democrats…
Just another dem thief, the law ofvthe land doesn\’t apply because of name, race, oppressed state, color of money, hostory of slavery or fill in the blank. When a politician OF ANY PARTY breaks the law, the penalty should be 3 times the standard!
excuse me? dems have ahbit of running the bad ones out of office, while the reps seem to give ’em a pat on the back & say nothing about their crimes. lets not get into that black kettle & pot. y’all would lose. i kept track for 2 yrs. reps had 33 arrests dems 2.
oh & so yall know, a third we’re child porn charges
That’s a democrat for you. Their gravy train was dismantled by President Trump and DOGE. Now they think they can still beak laws. Do the crime, do the time. This just proves that democrats are desperate. But on that, he will probably never be punished. See democrats have bought out judicial system in this country. So he will say, I had just forgot that’s all. Always an excuse and lie when it comes from democrats. They don’t care there is proof of what they did. Or the tape will magically disappear. Probably called Liz Cheney for ideas. Democrats never held accountable.