The death of a Gorham man, known for good deeds in a community that appeared unaware of his criminal past, has stunned and saddened residents.

Marcel “Marc” Badeau, founder of Operation Tribute, which received donations to provide children of deployed military families with Christmas gifts, died at 53 on Feb. 27. Badeau was named in federal court documents filed in December and verified by the FBI that reveal a wire and mail fraud investigation in connection with the charity’s handling of finances.

“Everyone is in shock,” said Marsha Traille of Gorham, a lawyer and Gorham Food Pantry board member. Badeau also served on its board of directors.

The Maine Medical Examiner’s Office has not released results of Badeau’s autopsy. Mark Belserene, office administrator, said on Tuesday the examination, pending further study, “can’t be released at this time.”

Stephen McCausland, spokesman for Maine Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday that Badeau’s death is not under state police investigation. The Gorham Police Department did not return repeated American Journal calls seeking information about Badeau’s death.

The federal probe was not the first time Badeau, a Lewiston native, was the subject of an FBI financial investigation. According to the court documents, he was sentenced in 1999 to 18 months in federal prison following a financial investigation in Massachusetts.

But his past apparently went undetected when he settled in Gorham, where he served the community in responsible positions in the municipality, church organizations and civic groups.

His wife, Margherita Badeau, bought a new, two-story colonial-style home at 41 Dewayns Way for $278,900 in March 2003, according to Gorham tax records. According to his obituary, the couple married in 1987 in Waltham, Mass. They had two children.

Citing advice of her lawyer, his wife declined comment.

Badeau had earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Bentley College, according to his obituary. In Gorham, he projected the image of a well-dressed, respected businessman.

Appointed to the Gorham Economic Development Corp. by the Gorham Town Council, Badeau served several years on the board, which promotes business in Gorham.

“He did not have access to funds and did not handle any funds for the corporation,” said Town Manager David Cole.

Badeau was re-appointed to the corporation in 2012. On his application, he listed the length of his residency as “10 + yrs.” and said he had served on the board six years.

“I am a certified public accountant and business consultant dealing in structured finance for a number of International real estate corporations,” he wrote on the town’s application. “As a member of the G.E.D.C., and a member of its finance and loan committee, I am well-suited to lend my talents and skills to the town of Gorham.”

The town’s committee application form does not ask for any information about criminal convictions. Town Council Chairman Michael Phinney said Wednesday the town hasn’t done background checks on volunteers seeking appointments to a number of town boards except where children are involved.

But, the town’s policy could change.

“I believe the council will discuss it in the next meeting,” Phinney said.

Phinney said Marc Badeau’s issues and his ties to the town and the Gorham Economic Development Corp. are a “black eye” for the town.

Badeau, according to his obituary, was a parishioner at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Gorham and served on its finance committee. Dave Guthro, communications director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, confirmed that Badeau was briefly a member of the finance council.

“He was only a member for a few months and it had been over a year since he was on the council,” Guthro said.

Guthro said that Badeau served in an advisory role only.

“He had no access to assets at all,” Guthro said, “and the bookkeeper at St. Anne’s in Gorham confirmed that, as well.”

At St. Anne’s, Badeau helped Gorham Food Pantry relocate from space inside the church to its own building in the church parking lot. In 2007, Badeau, who was then president of Gorham Kiwanis, was instrumental in the food pantry applying for a grant to secure a building of its own. In 2008, the pantry was awarded a $44,000 grant and the town donated a portable building, according to the pantry’s website.

Traille said Badeau was a valuable member of the board, but said he never had access to funds and no control over funds. He never had any financial involvement, Traille said.

Gorham resident James Means had served on community committees with Badeau.

“It was my pleasure to work with Marc Badeau while he was in several organizations, including the Gorham Economic Development Corp.,” Means said in an email to the American Journal. “I remember how fervent he was in wanting the Gorham Food Pantry to have a home of its own and he found a way to bring the town and St. Anne’s Church together to reach that goal.”

In 2007, Badeau founded Operation Holiday Cheer and it was re-named Operation Tribute in 2009, according to federal court documents.

The charity expanded rapidly. Margo Badeau told the American Journal in 2010 that it had provided 24,000 presents to children in 2009, rising from 8,000 gifts to Maine children in its first year.

“Our goal is national expansion in the next five years,” Marc Badeau said at the time.

Federal court documents reveal the FBI, IRS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Department of Education were among agencies that conducted an investigation in connection with the charity. The court documents said the agencies investigated Badeau and his wife, and others.

According to court documents about the investigation, which began in July 2014, in a six-year period beginning in 2009, $1,144,395 was raised from donors using the postal service, television and the Internet.

The investigation also claimed in court documents, “There is probable cause to believe that over $760,000 in donated funds was fraudulently diverted…”

Donald Clark, assistant U.S. attorney in Portland, when asked about a next step in the process, said this week that a deceased person cannot be charged and property can’t be confiscated from him. When asked about Badeau’s wife, Clark had no comment.

Badeau had a history before arriving in Gorham. The court documents say, “In 1998, Marcel was the target of a separate FBI investigation in Massachusetts. The investigation revealed that in 1996 and 1997 Marcel, then the chief financial officer and a senior vice president of Cambridge Trust Company, made false bank record entries in the books of CTC, thereby diverting about $670,000 in cash to his own bank account and also made unauthorized purchases at the expense of the bank totaling about $125,000.”

He was charged in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts and sentenced on June 3, 1999, to 11?2 years in federal prison.

As for the future of Operation Tribute, a spokesman for its board said on Monday that Operation Tribute still exists and the board of directors would determine its future.

The American Journal reported in 2012 that Operation Tribute was sending gifts to children in New England, New York, New Jersey and Ohio. Each child, newborn to age 16, received a package with a toy and a book, along with a hand-written letter, many from students in the Gorham schools, the story reported.

Means said, “I prefer to remember Marc for the positive impact he had on Gorham and military children in New England and offer prayers for him and his family. I hope that others do the same during this very sad time.”

Marcel “Marc” Badeau, founder of Operation Tribute, holds one of thousands of Christmas presents that were to be mailed to children of deployed military families in 2012. File photo