Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders
Former Maine prison official Gerald Merrill, 64, pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026 of theft and accepting a bribe after stealing $2.4 million in stolen funds. As part of Merrill’s plea agreement, signed several days before a jury trial was scheduled to take place, he will spend up to 10 years in prison and three more on probation, according to Bangor Daily News.
At the time of the thefts, Merill worked as the deputy superintendent and business manager at the Mountain View Correction Facility in Charleston and the Downeast Correactional Facility in Machiasport. An accomplice, Melanie High, also faced theft and bribery charges and pleaded guilty in November of last year.
For nearly a decade beginning in 2014, Merrill allegedly made payments on state-issued credit cards to five businesses controlled by High, who then sent the prison official kickbacks and other payments. In total, Merrill made around 529 credit card transactions for maintenance supplies from businesses connected to High. Most of the supplies, which were coordinated through a code for “special orders,” were never delivered.
According to testimony from High, who detailed her arrangement with Merrill as part of a “highly favorable deal” with the state, the former prison official personally received more than $500,000 from the transactions. Merrill’s sentencing is scheduled for May 12.
Source: Bangor Daily News
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