FARMINGTON – A complicated operation to sell bulk marijuana to non-registered caregivers outside the state of Maine involving four law enforcement officers, a prosecutor and a town official was brought to light today in federal court according to a press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Farmington resident Randal Cousineau, 69, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to possess and distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and 1,000 marijuana plants, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.
Cousineau admitted to being the primary financier and 50% partner in the illegal facility based in Farmington. Documents show that the operation has been ongoing since 2016, coming to an end last summer when the FBI raided properties in Farmington, Rangeley, Industry, Avon and Carrabassett Valley. According to the release, Cousineau profited hundreds of thousands of dollars from the illegal sales. He faces up to life in prison and a $10 million fine and will be sentenced after an official investigation report is completed.
A related 14-count criminal complaint was also filed today in U.S. District court in Bangor, charging an additional 12 defendants with a variety of offenses.
The complaint stated that Farmington resident Lucas Sirois, 41, was the leader of the operation. Reportedly, Sirois and others brought in more than $13 million over the six-year period from the intricate illegal operation. The release said that Sirois by all appearances complied with Maine’s medical marijuana laws, while regularly selling in bulk to the illicit market. A Scarborough man, Brandon Dagnese, 27, was noted as assisting with the out-of-state sales, according to the release. Due to the fact that Dagnese is a convicted felon, he is not able to hold a caregiver license in Maine.
Numerous others are being charged in relation to Sirois’ operation, including Alisa Sirois, 43, of Kingfield, Robert Sirois, 68, of Farmington, and Ryan Nezol, 38, of Farmington. Sirois’ tax preparer, Kenneth Allen, 48, of Farmington, assisted with filing false tax returns, hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars in income, according to the release.
Several local former law enforcement officers were also reportedly involved. Two then-Franklin County sheriff’s deputies, Bradley Scovil, 33, of Rangeley, and Derrick Doucette, 29, of Jay, assisted with obtaining confidential information for Sirois and accepted “ownership interests” and new vehicles in exchange. Sirois also used Scovil and Doucette’s positions to gathering information about the ongoing federal investigation into his criminal activity. Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Kayla Alves, 36, of Farmington, Wilton police officer Kevin Lemay, 33, of Farmington, and then-Oxford County deputy sheriff James McLamb, 29, of Auburn were also involved with assisting to gather information and destroyed electronic evidence of their wrongdoing, according to the release.
Additionally, Rangeley Selectman David Burgess, 53, reportedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars in cash from Sirois in exchange for supporting and advocating for his agenda with local government. That agenda included a marijuana ordinance that Sirois wrote for a town referendum. Sirois also paid Burgess thousands of dollars each week to manage his marijuana business. Burgess never disclosed that information to town officials, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Charges include 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.
Copies of the complaints can be found here.
