Sometimes government officials get involved in “the appearance of a conflict of interest,” where a deal that would be normal for others without their level of influence raises suspicion in their case that something might not be on the up-and-up.

And then there’s something worse: plain old real conflicts of interest, where an official clearly does something prohibited by rules or laws.

According to Maine Attorney General William J. Schneider, that second case is what happened when the warden of the Maine State Prison, Patricia Barnhart, bought some property in Thomaston from the Maine Bureau of General Services or far less than its assessed value.