Prosecutors: Conn woman violated bond conditions

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Prosecutors say one of three Connecticut woman charged with running a "gifting table" pyramid scheme violated her bond conditions by repeated contacts with a government witness.

Prosecutors requested a hearing to determine whether Donna Bello's bond should be revoked.

Bello's attorney, John Walkley, said he objects and denied Bello, a 55-year-old Guilford resident, would have done anything contrary to the bond conditions.

Bello and the other women have pleaded not guilty to charges they ran a scheme that authorities said led to losses of more than $1 million.

To join a gifting table, new participants must pay a $5,000 gift to the person occupying the "dessert" position at the top of the pyramid. Participants move through the pyramid from the bottom row, called "appetizers," to the top by recruiting additional people to join.