A former Lincoln funeral director will serve a year in prison after pleading guilty to stealing from 49 people.
Harold “Chip” Lamson Jr., 54, pleased guilty to 16 felony counts of theft and six misdemeanor counts Wednesday in Penobscot County Superior Court. The cases represent a total of 49 people, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Smith said.
Lamson was sentenced to one year in prison, and he must pay $63,965.38 in restitution, Smith said. Lamson must also write a letter of apology to each victim. He is in the Penobscot County Jail while waiting transfer to the Maine Department of Corrections.
Lamson was arrested May 20 and originally charged with four felony counts Aug. 8. Most of the charges stem from Lamson keeping money from mortuary trusts through the Lamson Funeral Home, which he owned with his wife. It served the Millinocket, East Millinocket and Medway areas.
In one case, a trust of $3,981 should have been paid to a North Carolina funeral home, following the death of a woman who used to live in Maine.
The family of the deceased woman called Lamson six times to request the money be transferred to the North Carolina funeral home. It never was, and the family had to pay, according to court records.
In spring 2024, the Maine Board of Funeral Services revoked Lamson’s funeral practitioner license for five years. In a consent agreement, he admitted “without dispute” to more than 60 violations of the board’s statutes, rules and code of ethics dating back to 2022.
The board suspended Lamson’s license as a funeral home director in June after he allegedly violated the consent agreement. In part, he allegedly was late and incomplete in reporting to the board and failed to return documents that were removed from the funeral home, preventing a comprehensive audit.
Lamson was first licensed in 1995. He is prohibited from seeking any funeral home-related licenses for the next three years, at which time he can apply to have his license reinstated.
