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Four people who participated in a 12-person criminal organization in Maine allegedly committed bank fraud and other crimes after they opened credit union accounts that funded an illegal $13 million marijuana operation, according to federal prosecutors.
A 14-count criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Bangor last month charged 12 defendants, including a county prosecutor, with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, bank fraud, tampering with proceedings, tampering with documents, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to impede and impair the IRS, tax evasion and tax fraud.
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All but one of the defendants pleaded not guilty to charges in U.S. District Court in Bangor last week. Kayla Alves, an assistant district attorney for Franklin County, has not entered a plea. She is facing charges of tampering with proceedings and documents. She allegedly tipped off one of the conspirators that federal authorities were investigating the illegal marijuana ring, court documents showed.
According to a criminal complaint, Lucas Sirois, 41, of Farmington, was the leader of the alleged criminal organization. He and his co-conspirators generated more than $13 million over six years from illegal marijuana sales.
Prosecutors alleged Sirois structured the pot operations to make them appear as though they complied with Maine's medical marijuana regime while he regularly sold bulk marijuana on the illicit market, including more than $1 million worth of marijuana for out-of-state distribution between 2018 and 2019 through one of the co-defendants, Brandon Dagnese, 27, of Scarborough, Maine.
According to prosecutors, Sirois and four other conspirators, Alisa Sirois, Bradley Scovil, Derrick Doucette and David Burgess, have been charged with bank fraud for allegedly opening credit union accounts in 2019 and 2020, falsely claiming that none of their deposits would be derived directly or indirectly from any marijuana-related business.
Medical and recreational use of marijuana is legal under Maine state law.
Although federal prosecutors did not name the victimized credit unions, they did list four Maine credit unions at which the criminal organization held accounts, including $479,390 at Franklin-Somerset Federal Credit Union; $46,819 at Maine Family Federal Credit Union; $25,277 at the Evergreen Credit Union and $17,870 at the University Credit Union. Additionally, the accused held more than $232,000 in three accounts at the Skowhegan Savings Bank.
The accounts are expected to be seized by federal authorities if the defendants plead guilty or are found guilty by a jury. What's more, 12 properties, 11 vehicles and more than $28,000 in cash also may be forfeited.
Beverly Knapp, president/CEO of the $120 million Franklin-Somerset in Madison, declined to comment when reached by CU Times.
Kerry Hayes, EVP and BSA officer for the $232 million Maine Family in Lewiston said the credit union did not sustain any losses and that it was not used for money laundering activities involving this case.
The $456 million Evergreen in Portland and the $415 million University CU in Orono did not return CU Times' request for comment.
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Peter Strozniak
Credit Union Times reporter covering credit union operations, fraud, M&As, leagues, business continuity, and breaking news.
