Tax Collector Convicted of Stealing More Than $500,000 from a Small Maine Town

The Portland Press Herald is reporting that a jury has found former Anson, Maine Tax Collector Claudia Viles guilty of stealing more than $500,000 from the small town.

According to the story, Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin, who prosecuted the case, said she believes it is the largest embezzlement of local funds that she has ever prosecuted here in Maine.

A jury has convicted Viles of stealing more than half a million dollars in excise taxes over the years. Those are the fees we pay to our local towns and cities when we register our vehicles here in Maine.

It's unclear if the town will ever recover the money.