On the same day that FBI agents investigated a Boothbay-area waste facility earlier this year, its operations manager was suspended from his role without pay because of allegations that he was involved in theft and financial improprieties, according to newly released records.
On Thursday night, the board of the Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District released the minutes from a special meeting on March 26 at which it voted to suspend the manager, Steve Lewis, who is also a member of the Boothbay Select Board.
March 26 was also the day that FBI agents were seen at the district’s waste transfer station in Boothbay, according to the Boothbay Register.
The federal agency later confirmed that it was doing “routine law enforcement activity” at the transfer station along with members of the Boothbay Harbor Police Department, but it has not announced any related charges.
The March 26 meeting of the refuse district’s board was called to “discuss allegations of theft and financial improprieties at the BRRDD, which the treasurer had discovered and reported to the FBI,” according to the minutes.
Lewis was “implicate[d]” in the alleged theft, according to the minutes. The minutes do not detail any of the allegations, but they note that the board was provided with multiple examples of them.
According to the minutes, the district’s attorney, Linda Yarmosh, drafted a letter for Lewis outlining the allegations and a notification to all employees explaining the situation. The board then unanimously voted to suspend Lewis without pay.
At this week’s meeting, board member Jay Warren said he would provide a copy of the employee notification to the Bangor Daily News.
When questioned by a Boothbay Register reporter about why the board had called the March 26 meeting without notifying the press, Warren said to contact Yarmosh.
Lewis claimed in March that he knew nothing about the FBI investigation and did not know why he was suspended. More recently, he has appealed his unpaid administrative leave, according to the Boothbay Register. His attorney, Richard Eliot, is researching whether proper legal notice was given when the refuse district board met to approve his suspension and why Lewis was not allowed to participate.
Lewis and Eliot couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Thursday evening.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
