AUGUSTA, Maine — A grand jury in York County has indicted former Rep. David R. Burns on charges of felony theft in connection with the misuse of public campaign funds during his 2010 campaign.
According to the 8-page indictment, Burns, of Alfred, has been charged with one count of Class C theft, three counts of Class D forgery and a handful of other misdemeanor charges for misappropriating campaign funds and falsifying financial disclosure documents.
Burns, a first-time Republican lawmaker elected to House District 138, stepped down from his seat last week after the attorney general’s office said it was pursuing criminal charges. He resigned from the Alfred Board of Selectmen in January.
House Speaker Robert Nutting, R-Oakland, said last week that it was appropriate for Burns to step down.
“We Republicans insist our members maintain the highest ethical standards possible,” the speaker said.
About two months ago, Burns was found by the Maine Ethics Commission to have committed several violations of the state’s Clean Election Act.
As a Clean Election candidate, Burns received public funds to run his campaign and in return was subject to strict guidelines for how those funds were spent and how the expenditures were recorded.
An audit report revealed, among other things, that Burns co-mingled campaign finances with personal finances, falsified receipts, used public money for personal expenses and failed to accurately report expenditures.
Walter McKee, chairman of the Ethics Commission, called Burns’ misconduct “mind-boggling,” during a November hearing. McKee also said he was bothered by what he called “righteous indignation” by Burns and his campaign staff when the audit report first was revealed.
The Ethics Commission ordered Burns to pay back $2,285 in public funds that he did not use for his campaign and also recommended a fine of between $5,000 and $10,000.
Burns likely will make an initial court appearance in York County Superior Court later this month on the criminal charges.
A special election will be held in the coming months to fill Burns’ seat in the House.
The last lawmaker to be charged for violating the Maine Clean Election Act was Rep. William Walcott, a three-term Democrat from Prentiss in Androscoggin County.
Walcott was investigated in 2006 and eventually stepped down from his House seat. About two years later, he pleaded guilty to charges of misusing campaign funds and served six months in jail.
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Extremely precious considering the source.
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It’s just cunnin’ .
their all crooks.
If this zipper happened to be a Democrat this site would ring with mockery and venom and exultation, but its quiet.. Funny how that works out.
This is sad and reflects badly on the State.
But they want war, Red.
We have class.
That explains why they are so scared of class warfare.
; )
House Speaker Robert Nutting SAID: “We Republicans insist our members maintain the highest ethical standards possible…” Sounds like a double standard.
Does he even get the irony of what he says??????????????
“We Republicans insist our members maintain the highest ethical standards possible” … for Republicans.
Now it makes sense.
LOL
wasnt this guy an ex state cop and now running for senate
He now looks like an ex senate running “from” the cops!
lol
The legislator you are thinking of is from Washington County. Same name-different person.
no
“We Republicans insist our members maintain the highest ethical standards possible,” the House Speaker Nutting said. Is he for real?
A true Rethuglican. Where is the mug shot?
Mr. Burns happens to be a very decent guy. The fact that he’s a Republican is irrelevant.
At issue here is the very clear warning to Clean Election candidates that some is watching so you’d damn well better know the fine points of campaign financing.
Clean Elections are a Maine idea and a very good one, as this illustrates. Limiting the obscene amounts of money that consistantly buy elections in contemporary America is crucial to the integrity of future generations.
We must instruct pure Legislature to find a way to make the match-funding comport with Constitutional requirements.
Abandonding a good idea is a bad idea.
If felony theft is classified a fine point of campaign financing I probably don’t want to know what constitutes a major transgression of same.
decent guys, don’t falsify and make up campaign expenditures. Apparently, he figured that he could do what he wanted, and work out the details later. I know it pained the AG to indict him, but if he did not do so, it would have made a mockery of all of those that did follow the rules.
Every other recipient of match-funding comported to the law, Burns did not.
My point was not to excuse illegality. And the “fine points” of the law does not mean irrelevant or insignificant points, it means the details.
My purpose was to point out that the Clean Election process works and is a valuable mechanism to limit campaign expenditures which, in my opinion, have gotten way out of control.
Think a minute. What your saying is its a good law, but its a bad law, because it “details” actually resulted in somebody being indicted on felony theft???
Burns down, Nutting next??
Nutting can’t distinguish between a Class A Felony Murder charge for the Maine War Criminal hacks Snowe and Collins and Class C and D petty theft charges Burns, eh?
What the heck its all one big taxpayer funded Republican/Democratic crime family.
What is it about politics that makes some people think that it’s a “Free for all” when it comes to other peoples money? Now besides what this guy actualy stole, he is costing the people he represented more money by verture of them having to bear the cost of another election. He should be made to bear the cost of that also.
I bet he wishes he could vote on the “next big thing”……….guess not! With a vacancy, now Repubs. majority is 5 seats.
I hope that Paulie has plenty of bandages.
House Speaker Robert Nutting, R-Oakland, said last week that it was appropriate for himself to step down also considering the amount of welfare money he stole. Oh wait that was just me thinking out loud again.