Jennifer Dulos disappearance: Judge orders Troconis to answer some questions.
A judge has ordered Michelle Troconis to answer a limited number of questions during a deposition in the $2.5 million lawsuits filed against Fotis Dulos by the family of his missing estranged wife.
Hartford Superior Court Judge Cesar Noble is requiring Troconis to provide information on her background, including where she was born and whether she has an Argentinian passport, and whether she saw her former boyfriend conducting business transactions in Florida and Colorado, according to an order issued Friday.
But she will not be required to answer much else that would shed light on her relationship with Fotis Dulos or his finances as the lawsuits filed by Gloria Farber and the estate of her late husband Hilliard go to trial Dec. 3.
Troconis and Fotis Dulos have each pleaded not guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in connection with Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance.
Attorney Andrew Bowman, representing Troconis, has repeatedly tried to avoid having his client involved with the lawsuits fearing she would incriminate herself in the criminal proceedings.
“In addition, law enforcement's investigation concerning the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos has not concluded,” Bowman wrote in court papers asking Noble not to compel his client to answer any questions in the lawsuits. “It is a continuing investigation, which may or may not result in a homicide charge or in a conspiracy charge.”
Attorney Richard Weinstein, representing Gloria Farber, asked Noble to determine which questions Troconis is required to answer after she invoked the Fifth Amendment to every question posed during a September deposition.
According to Noble’s order, Troconis must provide information on where she was born, where she holds citizenship, if she has an Argentinian passport and where she lived with her daughter before moving to Connecticut.
Troconis must also provide information on the business dealings of Fotis Dulos while he visited her in Florida and Colorado, and which business associates he contacted in those states while she was present.
Weinstein asked Troconis a total of about 180 questions during the September deposition. She only answered two, while invoking the Fifth Amendment for the rest. She is now required to answer 16 questions, according to Noble’s order. Court records do not indicate if a date for a second deposition has been set.
Several questions she will not be required to answer relate to Jennifer Dulos and the Farber family’s finances, the order indicates. Weinstein asked Troconis if Fotis Dulos ever discussed “the fact that if Jennifer died that, in fact, he would be the sole owner of the property?” The property in question was likely the 14,000squarefoot Farmington home Fotis Dulos and his wife shared before she left him in 2017.
Weinstein also wanted to know if Fotis Dulos ever told Troconis about “the amount of money that was held in trust for Jennifer Farber Dulos by the Farber family?” The question will remain unanswered, according to the order.
Troconis will also not have to answer if Fotis Dulos ever asked her to put his assets in her name, whether he transmitted monies overseas or if he asked her to review Hilliard Faber’s probate records to determine how much the Farber estate was worth.
Troconis will not have to answer any personal questions about her relationship with Fotis Dulos, including how long she lived in the
Farmington home he once shared with Jennifer Dulos or whether he paid for Troconis to travel with him.
Gloria Farber is suing her soninlaw for $2.5 million in what she is calling unpaid loans to him and his highend real estate business, Fore Group. Weinstein contended in court papers filed Friday that Fotis Dulos failed to maintain a separate financial identity from his company, which is now allowing him to claim the money was a gift from the family and not a loan.
According to the warrants, police believe Fotis Dulos was “lying in wait” when Jennifer Dulos arrived home from dropping off their children at school around 8:05 a.m. May 24.
Police said two people resembling Fotis Dulos and Troconis were seen on video the night of the disappearance in Hartford. Fotis Dulos was also seen on the same videos dumping bags that were later determined to contain his wife’s blood and clothing, according to arrest warrants.