WISCASSET
The Maine Board of Overseers last week suspended Damariscotta attorney Jonathan C. Hull from practicing law.
The action comes after Hull was charged with several counts related to the unauthorized withdrawals of funds from the Cheseborough Program, which operates the Tsugaru Japanese student-exchange program in Bath. While the money has since been repaid, Hull faces questions about why he made the withdrawals and why it took so long to return the money.
Hull was arrested Aug. 8 and charged with forgery, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, both Class B crimes, misuse of entrusted property, a Class D crime, and Class E falsifying private records.
Hull, 72, could not be contacted through his law office Wednesday, as it had been placed in receivership.
According to the affidavit, police were first made aware of the alleged fraud on June 1, after Cheseborough Program Acting President Elizabeth Hartung contacted Damariscotta police Sgt. Erick Halpin. Hartung said that she had discovered that money was missing from the program’s account, and that she suspected Hull of taking the funds. Hull, who had been involved with the program for several years, had been the group’s treasurer for two years and was one of two people with the authority to write a check.
Hull has since resigned as treasurer and from the organization’s board.
In a written statement given to the police, Hartung alleged that Hull admitted to her on May 14 that he took the money and said he would repay it the following week. Although Hartung noted that Hull had taken $6,000 from the account since January 2018, Halpin found much more money had been withdrawn during the period that Hull served as treasurer.
Halpin states in the affidavit that Hull took $24,250 from the Cheseborough account through 28 unauthorized withdrawals since February. By July 14, he had repaid $25,250. The affidavit doesn’t explain why Hull paid back more than he allegedly took. At least one of the repayment check included the words “loan repayment” in the memo.
On Aug. 27, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issued an immediate interim suspension of Hull from practicing law. In a statement, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar stated that the court had found that “Hull violated ethics rules relating to conflict of interest, truthfulness in statements to others, and misconduct.”
In an email late Wednesday, Hartung referred questions to investigators, only confirming that Hull had resigned “due to unexplained monetary irregularities.”
Hull was released Aug. 9 on $5,000 bail. He is set to return to court on Sept. 13.
nstrout@timesrecord.com
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