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A couple accused of defrauding a Maine lobsterman’s cooperative are under contract to sell their $4.95 million marine facility in Winter Harbor after filing for bankruptcy late last year.
The sale of the Winter Harbor Marine Center has been under contract since late May, according to the property’s listing on Zillow. The facility is owned by a limited liability company co-owned by Anthony and Josette Pettegrow and their son, Warren Pettegrow.
The marine center, which serves as the base for the Bar Harbor ferry and offers 13 registered moorings, was listed for sale by LandVest-Christie’s for $4.95 million a year ago.
The news marks the latest twist in a years-long legal saga between well-known Hancock County business owners and the Maine Lobstering Union Local 207, a group of fishermen that pooled money to operate a lobster wholesale business.
The conflict between the parties came after the union purchased the Pettegrows’ wholesale business in 2017 for $4 million, and hired Warren Pettegrow as its CEO. The union later accused Pettegrow and his parents of embezzling funds, submitting fraudulent invoices, up-charging for lobster products and violating the sale contract by operating a competing wholesale business.
The Pettegrows, who own several local properties and businesses, including the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, filed for bankruptcy last year, though the union argued they did so to avoid paying the judgment. The popular lobster pound, which is a staple for visitors on their way to Mount Desert Island, also filed for bankruptcy.
Sam Anderson and Adam Prescott, attorneys for the parents, did not respond to requests for comment.
Since the settlement, the co-op has received only a fraction of the $5 million it was awarded, according to court documents. The Pettegrows’ co-defendants, including their son Warren Pettegrow — who served as the CEO of the union’s Trenton lobster operation for the lobster union — have paid their portions of the judgment, documents show.
Anthony and Josette Pettegrow filed for bankruptcy on the eve of a hearing at which they were going to be put under oath to testify about their assets and ability to pay, according to David Johnson, an attorney for Lobster 207.
Lobster 207 said the bankruptcy claim was made in “bad faith” to avoid paying the judgement. The co-op pointed to the family’s approximately $6.6 million in assets as indicative of their wealth.
A hearing to discuss how the Pettegrows will pay the judgement is scheduled for July 22.
“Lobster 207 is entitled to every cent of that consent judgement, something that Pettegrows and Trenton Bridge agreed to, and we intend to keep litigating until we’ve been paid in full,” Johnson said.