Former State Legislature Candidate Indicted for Forgery
- January 25th 2023
- ElectionsPublic Safety
- 2022 Election State Legislature
On December 5, 2022, the Maine Office of the Attorney General obtained a 15-count indictment against Matthew F. Toth of Sanford, for crimes allegedly committed in connection with his candidacy for the District 143 State Representative seat in the 2022 election. District 143 includes South Sanford and the west side south of Roberts St.
In the indictment, Mr. Toth is charged with 13 counts of Aggravated Forgery, a class B felony. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. He is also charged with two counts of Unsworn Falsification, class D misdemeanors with a maximum penalty of up to 364 days in jail and up to a $2,000 fine.
The crimes were allegedly committed as part of Mr. Toth’s attempt to get funding for his campaign through the state’s Clean Election Act. In order to get funding, a candidate must collect $5 contributions from at least 60 registered voters in the district who must also sign a form affirming that the contribution came from their personal funds.
Mr. Toth was denied the funding and withdrew from the race. He was replaced on the ballot by AnnMarie Fredericks, who beat Wes Davie for the seat in the November general election.
11 of the Aggravated Forgery charges allege that Mr. Toth “with the intent to defraud or deceive the government” falsely completed written paperwork purportedly signed by Sanford residents. [The Sanford Springvale News is not releasing their names to protect their privacy.] According to a report by the Bangor Daily News, at least three of the people never contributed to Mr. Toth’s campaign.
The other two counts of Aggravated Forgery relate to the Qualifying Contributions Receipt and Acknowledgement forms filed with the state. The Unsworn Falsification charges allege that Mr. Toth affirmed in writing that the contributions were from the people listed on the form and that “every signature on the form was the signature of the person whose name it purported to be.”
The Maine Ethics Commission will hear an update on the case at its January 30 meeting in Augusta. The meeting will be streamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@maineethicscommission/streams.
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