The former director of the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce was arrested Friday on theft and forgery charges for allegedly embezzling more than $50,000.
Jason Gayne, 36, of Skowhegan was indicted Thursday by the Somerset County grand jury on five counts of theft and one count of forgery.
He spent the weekend at the Somerset County Jail unable to post $25,000 cash bail requested by the district attorney’s office.
Gayne pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday and bail was lowered to $1,000 cash after defense attorney Josh Tardy of Newport argued that bail was excessive.
Tardy declined to comment on the case after the brief hearing.
He is accused of stealing more than $40,000 from the chamber, between Dec. 4, 2017, and Jan. 11, 2022, and more than $10,000 from the Hospice Volunteers of Somerset County between April 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021.
Gayne was hired as the chamber’s director in 2016. He resigned from the position in February. He worked for the hospice group from June 15, 2021, through the following January.
Tim Curtis, who has been on the organization’s board since 2012 declined to comment on the charges against Gayne. A representative from the chamber did not immediately return a request for comment.
Gayne also is a member of the Skowhegan Economic Development Commission. He will remain on that committee until he either resigns or the board removes him.
If convicted, Gayne faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 on the theft charges. He also could be sentenced for up to five years and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine of the forgery count, if convicted. Gayne also could be ordered to pay restitution to the two organizations.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the amount of bail that was set for Gayne.