Thursday, October 28, 2010

Indicment finally occurs

Cindy Dunton got indicted October 28, 2010 for taking $198,000. We don’t know the sentencing date yet.. We will be circulating a petition shortly where as a resident of Newburgh you can state what sentence you would like Cindy to receive and other comments you may have.


The maximum sentence for this crime is 10 years. It would be unusual for a Judge to give the maximum sentence. They issue a sentence then suspend an amount of the sentence and the remainder is what they serve. On good behavior the amount that is actually served can be cut as much as half.

I believe that one should not profit from their ill gotten gains. Given that her wages were (as near as we can tell) $42,000 and she is responsible for a minimum of $250,000 of embezzlement and expenses anything less then 6 years serving time would mean she has profited from her actions.

Please consider signing this petition and voicing your opinion to the Judge.

Thank You

Claude

19 comments:

  1. Article said she's due in court December 9th, which is a Thursday. Any particular time?

    Luc and I would be happy to give anyone a ride to the courthouse with us who would like to go but might not be able to otherwise due to transportation issues. Personally, I think we should commandeer a school bus and go en mass because that would make a hell of a statement right there!

    :-D

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  2. We need to get a truck load of our wood working equipment out of our house on the Lindsey road ASAP. We need a truck big enough to haul our ATV/snowmobiles any furniture, guns and our vehicles at the same time.

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  3. "allegedly stolen by Dunton between Jan. 1, 2006, and the end of 2009."

    There is no "allegedly stolen" it was stolen by the Dunton's not Dunton, they both were in on it, PERIOD.

    “My job is to look at criminal conduct,” said Almy. “The fact that someone wasn’t as diligent as they should have been does not make it criminal.”

    I am sorry Mr Almay, are you implying someone did not do their job and should have caught it? Therefore the "FACT" they did not (catch it) does verify they are incompetent? Did you mean Allegedly or do you stand by the your selection of the word FACT here?

    The FACT is it's Time for some Diligent selectmen because the FACT is this.

    “It’s a very strong case,". The people of Newburgh are really mad, and you cant blame them. Not only did she steal their money, but she, Nancy and the SELECTMEN broke their trust amd confidence in their ability to run a town.

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  4. ditto to ya, but you forgot Lois.

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  5. The time between being charged and sentenced is the time for the tax payers to write the District Attorney, call and/or visit his office after 3pm. If you don't care what happens to your tax money or your neighbors, who may have a hard time saving each year for their taxes, then just sit back and you will be allowing it to happen. Right now, you can effectively assist in the punishment and bring about some justice and closure. All you need to do, is voice your concerns to the proper folks.

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  6. If Alan Dunton was paid for nothing, by his wife with the town money, why isn't he up on charges?
    I understand it was several thousand and he bought a new toyota truck, ATV and even a Grader and rumor has it, another home in somene's else's name. Is this a miscarriage of justice or just a oversight, for the time being ? I agree we need to be extermely vocal, until she goes into the court house otherwise they may never realize how much destruction she did to Newburgh, not only with money and our trust but causing disagreements between neighbors and families. It really has been, a living hell thanks to The Dunton's and anyone else who has covered things up.

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  7. There will soon be a petition circulating to have the citizens sign with any comments they want to make that will go directly to the DA & judge. Please make sure you sign it. They will be in the stores, & circulated around to homes. It will say we want her to have the maximum sentence & fine. She stole for 8-10 years she needs to get 8-10 years PERIOD.

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  8. To Anonymous October 29, 2010 6:39 AM

    I did not forget Lois, she is often on my mind since she sent the e-mail telling Anon. that if she wanted to date Nancy on her own time that was her business in fact I often can not get her out of my mind. What I think about is she did not loose any money like the town of the Newburgh taxpayers in fact she came out way ahead Vs. the rest of us slugs and then arrogant as could be she justified her camper time with Nancy as "Personal". Well I take it personal, Nasty Hatch was aware of the theft and did not report it to the selectmen, Lois was aware of the theft and also did not report it to the selectmen (only Nasty). We all lost money while Lois netted thousands between the insurance overpayment and Christmas bonus program while the Mr. MaGoo’s were stumbling around legally blind to the corruption for years.

    How could I, you or any taxpayer forget Lois, she is a real peach.

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  9. I am absolutely sick over Lois. :(

    I think I'm a pretty good judge of character, and while I don't know her on a personal level, she has always been polite, kind, and even through all the pain I'm she has been through in her job and current predicament, she still remains strong, caring, and genuine. If she has had a bad day, she certainly has never let it show. She is one classy lady and I love seeing her behind that counter in our little town office.

    When I made my comment in another thread regarding her being seen with Nancy at fair, it NEVER dawned onto me that just anyone can post to this blog. Not only that, but you can post and sign someone else's name.

    That's the great thing about the internet...anyone can be on it. That's also the bad thing about it...anyone can be on it.

    ;-)

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  10. Kathy,

    You may be a good judge of character, you are obviously easily fooled as well.

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  11. Kathy, see other post for your reply.

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  12. Would be interested in seeing bank account activity for the Dunton's over the past 6 years. I wonder if the DA's office has these records?

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  13. Did the auditor even check their bank accounts? Wasn't the town told they didn't have enough money to check bank accounts?? What I heard!! Do the "Concerned Citizens" have copies of the Dunton's bank accounts?? Fill us in here please.

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  14. First of all, it appears throughout that Cindy was advising Alan. Nancy Hatch was advising Cindy and told Lois, to keep her mouth shut and she would be taken care of.....Nancy was also advsing the Board or not. The town Attorney was advising Nancy and the board. Cindy had her own attorney to advise her and Alan. The town attorney advised the Auditor, to do only what he told them to do and he would get $40,000 plus for limited audit work. No way to lose on this as the board, doesn't have a clue that the money should of been followed, in a real audit for a crime. Then, the town attorney showed the board a worthless promissary note and convinced them it was a good thing. Not taking into consideration that Newburgh is in 3rd place with a property that has no equity. A worthless piece of paper but the board, thought it was good as with the lack of freezing the Dunton's assets when they could of, so it allowed them to cash them all in and avoid any type of seizures. Is everyone really that stupid or was there one smart person and the others just followed? Or, did everyone have something to gain for taking Newburgh down the tubes. Think about all this and draw your own conclusion.

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  15. Just called the D.A's office, Cindy Dunton's arraignment has been re-scheduled for Jan. 20th, 8:30 am.

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  16. Thank you Concerned Citizen Group for continuing to work hard for our community. Much appreciated. This is a nice article in the Bangor Daily News today.
    Newburgh residents rally against former deputy treasurer 1/3/11
    NEWBURGH, Maine — A group of concerned citizens in Newburgh says it has gathered more than 300 signatures from townspeople calling for the stiffest possible sentence for accused embezzler Cindy Dunton.

    Dunton, the town’s former deputy treasurer, faces a charge of Class B theft by unauthorized taking for allegedly embezzling nearly $200,000 in taxpayer funds dating back four years. Dunton, who was fired in March 2010 after selectmen discov-ered financial discrepancies, is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.

    The group of Newburgh residents, which calls itself “Concerned Citizens of Newburgh” or “The Fixers,” has been investigating the town’s finances for more than a year. They noticed financial irregularities in the town’s books in early 2010, though they say they had not traced the irregularities to Dunton prior to her firing.

    In a promissory note she signed with the town pledging to pay back the money, Dunton admitted she stole the funds. Claude Bolduc, one of the founders of The Fixers, said he and others are worried that Dunton will “get off easy” in terms of the judicial system’s actions against her.

    “There’s a fair amount of anger out there,” he said recently during a meeting of concerned citizens at his kitchen table. “We think the sentence ought to be reflective [of] how much was stolen.”

    Bolduc said he and a group of volunteers have gathered more than 300 signatures, which they intend to submit to whichever judge presides over Dunton’s arraignment. Most of the signatures were gathered at the town’s polling place during the November elections, though the group still is collecting signatures through its website because, members said, embezzlement by public officials is an issue of statewide concern. Language on the petition calls for “no leniency in this case.”

    “Considering the depth and breadth of her crimes, anything less than the maximum allowable sentence will be considered an injustice. ... Damage has been done that will take years to overcome,” reads the petition. “Please do not allow her to profit from her misdeeds.”

    Chris Yountz, another of the concerned citizens, said the group also is rallying Newburgh residents to attend the Jan. 20 hearing en masse.

    “We don’t want her to get off with probation and three months in jail or something like that,” Yountz said. “Cindy’s crime was a tremendous betrayal of public trust.”

    Bolduc, Yountz and other members of the group said if the judge at Dunton’s arraignment won’t accept the petition, they will present it to Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy. They also said they want to present the petition at the arraignment in case a plea bargain with Dunton is announced at that time.

    Class B theft by unauthorized taking, for which Dunton was indicted by a grand jury in October, is the most serious form of larceny there is, comparable only to thefts of firearms and robberies involving dangerous weapons, according to Maine law. Class B theft is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

    Neither Dunton nor Dale Thistle, her Newport-based attorney, has returned calls seeking comment from the Bangor Daily News.

    Almy applauded the efforts by the citizens group.

    “I hope they all come to court,” Almy said. “What these citizens are doing is very helpful, and I really hope that they’re going to tell the judge what they think. This is the public’s business, and as far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier.”

    Asked what sentence he will seek for Dunton if she is convicted, Almy declined to answer other than to say, “It should be a significant sentence, because this is a significant matter.”

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  17. THANK YOU CONCERNED CITIZENS GROUP
    Newburgh residents rally against former deputy treasurer

    1/3/11 08:55 pm Updated: 1/3/11 08:58 pm
    By Christopher Cousins
    BDN Staff

    NEWBURGH, Maine — A group of concerned citizens in Newburgh says it has gathered more than 300 signatures from townspeople calling for the stiffest possible sentence for accused embezzler Cindy Dunton.

    Dunton, the town’s former deputy treasurer, faces a charge of Class B theft by unauthorized taking for allegedly embezzling nearly $200,000 in taxpayer funds dating back four years. Dunton, who was fired in March 2010 after selectmen discov-ered financial discrepancies, is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.

    The group of Newburgh residents, which calls itself “Concerned Citizens of Newburgh” or “The Fixers,” has been investigating the town’s finances for more than a year. They noticed financial irregularities in the town’s books in early 2010, though they say they had not traced the irregularities to Dunton prior to her firing.

    In a promissory note she signed with the town pledging to pay back the money, Dunton admitted she stole the funds. Claude Bolduc, one of the founders of The Fixers, said he and others are worried that Dunton will “get off easy” in terms of the judicial system’s actions against her.

    “There’s a fair amount of anger out there,” he said recently during a meeting of concerned citizens at his kitchen table. “We think the sentence ought to be reflective [of] how much was stolen.”

    Bolduc said he and a group of volunteers have gathered more than 300 signatures, which they intend to submit to whichever judge presides over Dunton’s arraignment. Most of the signatures were gathered at the town’s polling place during the November elections, though the group still is collecting signatures through its website because, members said, embezzlement by public officials is an issue of statewide concern. Language on the petition calls for “no leniency in this case.”

    “Considering the depth and breadth of her crimes, anything less than the maximum allowable sentence will be considered an injustice. ... Damage has been done that will take years to overcome,” reads the petition. “Please do not allow her to profit from her misdeeds.”

    Chris Yountz, another of the concerned citizens, said the group also is rallying Newburgh residents to attend the Jan. 20 hearing en masse.

    “We don’t want her to get off with probation and three months in jail or something like that,” Yountz said. “Cindy’s crime was a tremendous betrayal of public trust.”

    Bolduc, Yountz and other members of the group said if the judge at Dunton’s arraignment won’t accept the petition, they will present it to Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy. They also said they want to present the petition at the arraignment in case a plea bargain with Dunton is announced at that time.

    Class B theft by unauthorized taking, for which Dunton was indicted by a grand jury in October, is the most serious form of larceny there is, comparable only to thefts of firearms and robberies involving dangerous weapons, according to Maine law. Class B theft is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

    Neither Dunton nor Dale Thistle, her Newport-based attorney, has returned calls seeking comment from the Bangor Daily News.

    Almy applauded the efforts by the citizens group.

    “I hope they all come to court,” Almy said. “What these citizens are doing is very helpful, and I really hope that they’re going to tell the judge what they think. This is the public’s business, and as far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier.”

    Asked what sentence he will seek for Dunton if she is convicted, Almy declined to answer other than to say, “It should be a significant sentence, because this is a significant matter.”

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  18. Great article in the Bangor Daily News today. Thank you Concerned Citizens Group for continuing to work to help our community. I like District Almy's comment to your group.
    http://www.bangordailynews.com/story/Statewide/Newburgh-residents-rally-against-former-deputy-treasurer,163031

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  19. Still trying to understand how Alan is free and clear.

    Did he not recieve income, and did he not report this income to IRS? Stolen or not he has admitted in writing the family got money that I can only assume he did not claim.

    Who is responsible to report this to the IRS? Do you think they would hesitate to place a lein on the property because of an existing loan against it?

    What would happen to you or me if we recieved an extra 200K over 4-5 years and forgot to mention it to uncle Sam but he found out?

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please be couteous!

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