AUGUSTA, Maine — The former chief of the Maine Turnpike Authority will get to keep his more than $5,000 per month state pension even though he may go to prison for stealing from the agency.
Former executive director Paul Violette is scheduled to plead guilty to felony theft on Feb. 6. He faces up to five years in prison as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
Unlike many states, Maine does not have a pension forfeiture law to penalize public employees convicted of violating the public trust.
The agency’s new head, Peter Mills, says much of Violette’s pension will be used to settle debt he incurred paying $155,000 in restitution.
Violette’s attorney tells MaineToday Media there’s no reason to revoke the pension.
State Sen. Roger Katz says the Legislature should consider a pension forfeiture law.
Hahaha! Joke’s on you, Maine!
And how RIDICULOUS is this??!!?!?!!
On the criminal side, Violette was charged with one count of Class B
theft, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to attorney
general spokeswoman Brenda Kielty. The severity of theft charges is
determined by the amount of money stolen. Class B theft involves more
than $10,000.
Of course he should get his pension, he worked hard and even through he stole money why should he not receive his $5,000.00 a month.
I’m waiting for the “likes” to pile up on this one. LOL!
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..I am going to stay in my mind of maddness where I understand the world better because this maddness of special treatment is uncomprehensable….
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Not true.
You cannot loose your SSI benefit payment for a misdemeanor or a felony, only your state pension.
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Also you lose your Federal Pension if you are convicted of any felony.
Wait…$5,000 a month???? WOW! Just keep the checks until the fine is paid off!
This is what’s wrong with this state. Turn Gov. Lepage loose on this one. This is a good one for governor to sink his teeth into……..
The Legislature should vote tommorrow to revoke this EMBEZZLERS pension. Then they should form a bi-partisian committee to find other criminals recieving money from the state and confiscate it.
The state of Maine should act immediately on a pension forfeiture law and make it retroactive.
This is nonsense!
Ok so say he gets the 5 years,he will have his fine paid off in roughly 31 months and when he gets out he will have somewhere near 140k-150k banked for him!.Am i understanding this right?
If you or I go to county jail or prison we loose our right to unemployment benefits and any other state benefit but this guy gets to keep his $5000 state pension ! What a crock of SH– ! They just keep driving it down the tax payers throat and we keep swallowing ! When our we going to wake up ! Im tired of this crap and am thinking something needs to be done soon . Who gets $ 5000 per month in pay working a full time job and doing it without stealing , let alone $ 5000 per month retirement !
He gets to keep his retirement I got to forfeit 42 % of mine in order to keep my health insurance. How fair is this? I do understand that part of that pension he’s collecting was paid in part by him through payroll deduction but still $5 K a month?
This is really outrageous! In the first place, the pension itself is way too high as compared to that of a person who worked just as hard or harder all of his life and will get much less (if any) from social security when they retire. Governor Lepage needs to address this first and foremost. They should also immediately pass a forfeiture law – although I doubt it would have much support from those who have control of Augusta in the house and senate as it may one day affect them! But I agree with the rest of the posters on here. His keeping his pension rights while in jail is just not right!
This is totally outrageous. Other news reports have indicated the $155,000 fine was roughly his entire net worth. This makes no sense at all, considering his former salary (well over $100K/year), his travel habits, and that not a single penny of his travel expenses came out of his own pocket. Shoot, MY net worth is more than that and I make only a fraction of what he made and have to pay all my bills out of my own pocket. WTH did all his money go? Cayman Islands?
So now the poor guy is going to have to live on a paltry $60K a year (snif!), and he will no longer be traveling on the MTA’s dime (snif!). Considering his former salary, travel, and spending habits, he will probably make it seem like some awful hardship. Cry me a freakin’ river.
make him pay for his room n board during his stay at the striped sunlight inn
Outrageous! Another reason to move from Maine. WTH is going on in this state, people have no fuel, food and you pay this guy a pension for stealing from the turnpike authority? Oh ya, this is where I want to be. Atleast BDN reports the truth, will be attacked by the Mainers that think it is just fine because they have their safety deposit boxes loaded and hidden from the state. Taxes? HA
In nearly every other state, if one is a state, county or municipal employee convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony, and is under a state retirement/pension plan, that person forfeits his/her pension.
Misdemeanors no, felonies yes.
This State can be so slooww with things! The forfeiture clause should’ve been a no brainer years ago!
EXCELLENT JOB STATE OF MAINE…………………..this State is a freaking JOKE.
Amazing…Here’s your five years for screwing the state…and while you’re there, please continue screwing the state…
Violette’s pilfering of state resources occurred from 2003 to 2010. During that time, the legislature failed to pass a pension forfeiture law for state employees convicted of felony theft from the state. Democrats were in the majority in the legislature through this entire time and a Democrat was governor.
Soooooooooooo??? Pension forfeiture should have been passed 20+ years ago…..who cares if it was a democrat or republican or a giraffe in office…….COMMON SENSE ANYONE???? DUH.
Common sense is, perhaps, not so common.
its not really their fault. rule #2, make laws to benefit themselves and other politicians.
Wish I made $5000 a month. Not even dreaming of a pension. Guessing this guy has a nice house he could sell to take care of his debt. Then- I’d as soon see him counting back change out of tollbooth as occupying a prison cell.
Not bad, not bad at all. Steal someplace around $450,000 from the Maine Turnpike Authority. Agree to pay back $155,000 from your own funds and let the bonding company pay the rest. Work a plea deal with the state for 5 yrs when most of us would be there far longer. While you are in prison collect $300,000 (assuming 5yrs in prison) in pension from the state you stole from. After you get out you will have almost $150,000 saved after you pay the $155,000 and the state has fed, clothed sheltered and provided medical care for you for 5 years. On top of all that you get to collect the $5k every month for as long as you live. Not many places will pay you to steal from them. In Maine the State will reward you with a pension for life. This , to borrow a word from Tom Brady, SUCKS.
There’s no reason? You gotta be freakin’ kidding me……he’s a liar and a thief. It never ends. Lepage, step in if you can!
Contact your state reps and senators and ask for emergency legislation that mandates that any state employee convicted of a crime while in office of defrauding the state forfeits any pension or benefits. DO IT QUICKLY. I am contacting mine.
I think while he is in prison his pension should go towards the money he stole…
What? He draws a pension? While in jail? And the taxpayers pay for his vacation in jail? And, the state is looking for money? Something is wrong!!!
I am a combat veteran. I served on Active Duty for over 20 years. I completed seventeen deployments. I have never committed any felony. I served our nation with honor and I tried to be ethical at all times. I have both M.A. and B.S. degrees. I find it interesting that this man gets a pension that is 3X bigger than my pension.
I don’t find it interesting, more like absurd! Wonder why the state’s broke. And he’s not even the tip of the iceberg.
I agree. I was concerned that I might sound like I was saying that I somehow deserved more. I hold no entitlement agenda.
State employees are valued much higher in our culture than US servicemembers are. State employees get paid much more, and receive much higher pensions; as compared to servicemembers. I get it. Obviously this reflects the citizens wishes of our great nation.
If I were to commit a felony I would instantly lose all; my pension, my medical benefits, base access, everything.
please do not think that most citizens agree with the rate of pay or pensions or benefits that are given to state employees. politicians are responsible for setting compensation for themselves and state employees. some (few) deserve what they receive, others do not., and we never get a say.
Thank you for your years of service, beekeeper. As for the article…. I have no comment. Or I should say I have no comment that BDN would print.
Thank you for your service. While you were out fighting for us, our politicians were busily continuing to feather their own nests at our expense. They get a whole lot of perks we’ve never heard of and can never hope to have for ourselves.
Thank you for your service.
Where are all the liberal posters on this one? I can not imagine that even they would be in agreement with this. I assume that the bonding and insurance companies will be looking to recover their portion of the riembursment to the state from his 5k per month retirement.
He’ll never serve a day in jail. He knows too much. Like Nutting, he’ll get a sweetheart deal in exchange for not kicking over the chamber pots of the other political hacks that are stealing us blind. Watch closely and see who the AG’s office picks to lose the case.
Of course he gets to keep his pension!–Did anyone think he wouldn’t?–This is the way things roll in the state of Maine!!
The state is in trouble because???????? How about taking the money from lowlifes who steal from the hand that feeds them & help out some of the elderly in the nursing homes that will be closing, or fuel assistance, or food banks, animal shelters anything other than making this guys life easier.
I am astounded, I am amazed, I am FLOORED that – in the decades of Democrat party rule in the great state of Maine – the legislature somehow never quite got around to taking care of this glaring loophole! How cool is it that Mr. Violette, through his oh-so-generous pension, gets to reimburse us (with money taxed from us) for the money he misappropriated (from state funds, which came out of our hides). Sort of like: he steals our money, then we give him the money to pay us back… Does that amount to stealing from us TWICE? Why not? In both cases, the money – OUR money – goes to his benefit… Maybe Chicago isn’t all that far ahead of us after all!
most comments here are outraged because he gets to keep his pension. why are there not more comments on how much he was getting paid in the first place, with benefits and pension on top of that. to say nothing of the expense accounts and likely a state car to get to work and back. there is no limit it seems, to how much the state will pay.
politicians have three rules they live by. 1 work to stay in office, 2 create rules and laws that benefit themselves and other politicians, 3 create no rules or laws that effect rule #2.
http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/edemocracy/lookup_voter_info
PLEASE~ Go to this website, and put in your city or town, and your address, including “street” or avenue, or it won’t work. THEN click on the tab that says “ELECTED OFFICIALS” and scroll down. You will see the address and name of your elected state representatives. WRITE THEM CALL THEM EMAIL THEM TO PASS EMERGENCY LEGISLATION TO PROHIBIT ANY STATE EMPLOYEE FROM RECEIVING A PENSION OR BENEFITS IF THEY ARE CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME THAT DEFRAUDS THE STATE@!! Do it NOW so that it can’t be ex post facto as applied to Violette.
Click the “like” column for my posting below so we can keep track of everyone who contacts an elected official.
Before anyone cancels their home subscription of the BDN consider this: It can be quickly made into a medium size bag suitable for slowly breathing into so you don’t have a heart attack after reading stuff like this.
they should garnish it to pay back the money he has stolen…..
LePage calling Lepage time to cut some more!! While your at it CLOSE the stupid waste we call the toll road all together!!
This is just outrageous!
This is outrageous!
Poor Paul. Say it an’t so!
FAIL
our elected officials steal from us every day.what do you think they are gonna do??nothing!!
Travesty!