Maine lawmaker asked to resign after fraud indictment

Published: Jan. 25, 2023 at 8:07 PM EST

AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - A Maine state representative has been indicted for allegedly forging signatures to qualify for public funding for his campaign.

Democrat Clint Collamore of Waldoboro faces 20 counts of forgery, 12 counts of unsworn falsification, and one count of criminal violation of the Clean Elections Act.

As part of the Maine Clean Elections Act, state house candidates have to collect signatures and five dollar donations from 60 people in their district to qualify for a little over five thousand dollars in public funding for their campaign.

”Frankly, a lot of people don’t like to ask their neighbors and their friends in the community for financial support to run a race, so this is a way for them to participate in the process through a state program,” Maine Ethics Commission Martha Currier said.

Now, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross has called on Collamore to resign.

Collamore told our media partner WMTW he would be talking with his attorney to plot out his next steps.

He would not say if he had any plans to resign.