It's not often that a judge in a civil case accuses a litigant of outright fraud, not telling the truth in testimony.

And yet you don't have to search far — it's contained in one of the first entries that turns up in a Google search — to discover a judge making just such an accusation against Nicholas Fiorillo, the data center developer Groton signed a host agreement with last April exempting his proposed data center off Route 117 from local property taxes.

A Massachusetts Superior Court judge, in a decision dated Aug. 1, 2009, found that Fiorillo's lawyer had submitted a counterfeit document to support his client's claim in a civil case and that Fiorillo himself gave testimony that was not truthful.

Indeed, Fiorillo, Groton's newest development partner, is involved in lots of litigation, including bankruptcies, and one of those involves a family of entities proposing data centers like the one the Groton Town Council sanctioned with its 2021 host agreement.

But you don't have to get distracted by the many lawsuits when you Google Fiorillo. There's all kinds of other crazy stuff, like the story by the investigative team of a Massachusetts television station, looking at the claims of a woman who said Fiorillo cheated her out of $18,000, money paid to his vacation rental business.

There's a news story that mentions a liquor law violation at a restaurant Fiorillo operates in Boston, because it might relate to a restaurant he was proposing to open on Cape Cod.

What you won't find in a Google search is any information about any data centers Fiorillo has developed, because, well, he's never built a single one.

I left a message on Fiorillo's website and asked him to call or email, but I never heard from him.

What's even more troubling is that the Town Council is considering signing a second host agreement for another data center that won't pay property taxes, and this one is proposed by a former colleague of Fiorillo, in the business of proposing data centers that never get built.

The latest data center developer to make his pitch to Groton, Thomas Quinn, not only worked with Fiorillo on proposing data centers, but he was also a chief executive officer of another entity trying to get a foothold in eastern Connecticut.

Quinn, had the Town Council followed the advice of Town Manager John Burt, would probably already have his own tax-avoiding, signed host agreement by now, except a few savvy councilors insisted on a public hearing for this project.

That hearing, which actually wasn't a public hearing at all, because the town economic development commissioner who chaired it testily stopped anyone who ventured beyond asking a question to making what the chairman called a comment.

There's a lot for the public to want to comment on.

The hearing — if not for the sad fact that town officials have let such a worrisome proposal progress so far — was a hoot.

Many of the ghosts of developer Quinn's past came out to haunt him.

The most theatrical of these was a woman, Donna Greene, dressed in black, whose late husband was a colleague of Quinn's in a company he led as chief executive officer, another one which never built a data center and which is now embroiled in a lawsuit trying to collect on a $33 million debt.

"Why would Groton want to deal with someone who steals?" said Greene, and the room broke into applause.

I watched on Groton Municipal Television on YouTube, and once Greene was disconnected from the microphone, she disappeared off camera but you could still hear her shouting across the room: "Crook!"

Another strange appearance was made by Joseph Caldrello, the New London businessman who lost his chain of automobile dealerships decades ago, after a long bankruptcy.

Caldrello, who chatted familiarly with widow Greene at the hearing, identified himself as a consultant to the company Quinn used to direct, the one now fending off a $33 million lawsuit claim. Caldrello began his short time with the microphone, one that ended with him dropping the f-bomb, with an attack on Quinn, before being shut down by hearing officials, as Quinn shouted back at him.

Someone in the audience shouted out that it looked like a segment of the "Jerry Springer Show."

Another surprise guest of the strange evening was Kenneth Reels, the former chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which once entertained proposals from data center developers but never built one. Reels made the point that Quinn has not presented any evidence of financing for the giant project he is asking the Town Council to sign a property-tax-waiving host agreement for.

Quinn saved his angriest finger-pointing response, raising his voice to a shout, for Groton community activist Kevin Blacker, who made the interesting point that the proposed data center would use more electricity than the new wind farm being built off the south fork of Long Island will generate.

Blacker got shut down, too, for making a comment instead of asking a question.

It is all troubling to me.

I suppose the worst of it are the lawsuits and bankruptcies, because the host agreements, which specify payments in lieu of taxes to the town — between $500,000 and $1.5 million — would be contractual, and the town would not be first in line, like it would for unpaid taxes, if the project fails and there are creditors.

It is especially worrisome for Groton that the town manager would propose the Town Council sign agreements with unproven developers who have directed businesses so entangled in big lawsuits. Never mind that one of them was accused by a judge of lying in court testimony.

After all, a recent deal by Groton with another developer, who pleaded guilty to bribing public officials in New York and had no record of developing the kind of project he was proposing here, is only now headed toward an expensive lawsuit.

The town manager is supposed to protect the town from signing problematic deals, not promote them.

Maybe someone could tell him about Google.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com