Maine
Clients’ families say Maine funeral home director stole their money – and peace of mind
William Jipson Jr. with a portrait of himself, left, his father, William Jipson Sr., and his sister Lynette Krapf. Jipson is one of several people who allege that Harold Lee Lamson Jr., a funeral director based out of Lincoln, stole money from a loved one’s mortuary trust. Jipson’s father died in 2022. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
Long before he died nearly two years ago, William Jipson Sr. set aside thousands of dollars in a mortuary trust to soften the financial burden that his cremation and burial would put on his children.
The value of the fund had grown to roughly $14,000 by the time he died in December 2022 – more than enough to cover funeral expenses. But after the Lincoln funeral director he hired appeared to keep all of the cash, Jipson’s son and daughter found themselves paying nearly $5,000 out of pocket for a gravestone “after we already paid for it once,” William Jipson Jr. said.
After months of delays and excuses, Jipson’s family hasn’t seen a dime of their money.
“It’s all gone. He’s taken it and spent it, and that’s it,” Jipson said. “(It’s) an awful feeling, knowing that someone wronged you, and your father at the end of life.”
The Jipson family is among a number of Mainers at the center of a criminal case against Harold Lee Lamson Jr., who operates four funeral homes in Penobscot and Washington counties. He is accused of misappropriating thousands of dollars from their loved ones’ mortuary trusts between December 2022 and February of this year – adding undue cost and emotional turmoil to the painful process of grieving and organizing a funeral.
“It’s a big kick in the teeth. Everyone wants to move on with their lives and deal with their losses,” Jipson said. “We went through 12 years of hell trying to care for my father. … And then when he passes, you’ve got to continue dealing with more years of hell.”
At one point, Lamson told Jipson’s sister that he was waiting on the gravestone to be cut and would send the money when he received the final bill. But when she called the memorial company, they told her Lamson had never placed the order, and that “this has happened a few times,” Jipson said.
Lamson is charged with four counts of theft by unauthorized transfer, a felony-level Class C charge. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, and Lamson may be ordered to pay thousands of dollars in restitution.
He first appeared in Penobscot County Superior Court this month but was not required to enter a plea. He will appear before the court again in November.
He also faces losing his state license as a funeral director and is currently under suspension after years of complaints.
Lamson declined to answer questions about the charges when reached by phone Thursday.
PROMISES AFTER PROMISES
Deborah Elms had hoped to bury her mother in Maine, where she spent much of her life before moving to North Carolina in her final years to be closer to Elms.
Joyce Nicholson died there in January. Years earlier, she had set up a mortuary trust. But that company went out of business and transferred responsibility over the trust to Lamson, Elms said.
“Although our family didn’t originally select (Harold) Lamson’s company, we appear to be stuck with him,” Elms wrote in a February letter to police, less than a month after Nicholson’s death.
She said Lamson was completely uninvolved in the funeral. But Elms still lost the nearly $4,000 her mother left behind after he failed to transfer the money to the out-of-state funeral home that handled her mother’s services.
After at least eight calls over more than two weeks, Elms said she spoke to Lamson on Feb. 12, at which time he promised to pay the North Carolina funeral home bill and send her whatever was left in the trust.
The funeral director in North Carolina also reached out to Lamson requesting the money. Lamson replied with an error-ridden email one month after Nicholson’s death, apologizing for the delay and citing “a volume in excess of 200 calls per year” as a factor in the slow response.
“While it was not my intention to wait this long, let alone 30 days, to pay this bill, time has a way of passing much quickly,” he wrote in an email to the North Carolina funeral director that Elms shared with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. Lamson promised to send a check later that day, “tomorrow at the latest.”
But he never did, Elms said.
Ultimately, she footed the roughly $3,100 bill using money she had set aside for a trip to Maine to bury her mother and son, who died a few months earlier, Elms said. Although she made it to Maine in June, the trip put an unplanned dent in her budget.
Elms said she suffered two stress-induced heart attacks and began having nightmares. She declined to be interviewed over the phone, citing fears that recounting the story could overwhelm her.
“I get all worked up when I think of him and the disrespect he pulled on me and the funeral home here in NC,” Elms wrote in an email.
HOPING FOR RESTITUTION
Both Jipson and Elms said they want restitution and to see Lamson imprisoned. But neither was confident any penalties could make up for the pain they say he caused.
Under Maine law, funeral homes are required to return any money left in certain types of mortuary trusts after funeral expenses have been paid. If a funeral home is unable to render any services, as was the case for Elms, it must return all proceeds from the trust.
There are three categories of mortuary trusts available in Maine: guaranteed service agreements, credit for service agreements and existing life insurance agreements. Only the latter two contain provisions requiring leftover money to be returned.
Though it’s not clear how many Mainers have set up mortuary trusts, as the state Board of Funeral Services does not keep count, they are commonly offered by funeral homes across the state.
Rebekkah Martin, a former funeral home director who spent about 15 years working in the industry, said it’s relatively rare that there are any funds left over after funeral expenses, but federal and state laws provide clear timelines for when those funds must be deposited and returned.
Jipson’s family should have been entitled to the nearly $9,000 left in the trust after the funeral, William Jipson Jr. said. But he’s not optimistic about getting restitution, citing worries that Lamson could file for bankruptcy to avoid paying.
Lamson did attempt to file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in March, around the same time legal troubles began to mount, but the case was dismissed in April after Lamson failed to provide all the required documents or follow up on his request, according to federal court records.
According to his bankruptcy application, Lamson owns several vehicles, worth more than $27,000, including a 2008 Cadillac and a 2018 Chrysler, plus an $80,000 investment property in Sedgwick.
YEARS OF POTENTIAL ABUSE
Jipson said he could not understand why Lamson was given direct access to his father’s money without there being another layer of oversight, especially because Lamson had faced earlier disciplinary issues.
“Shouldn’t there have been a little bit of a safeguard in case someone’s going to abuse the money?” Jipson said. “It just seems a little odd to me, but I guess I don’t know the system.”
Complaints against Lamson stretch back decades.
In 2005, the state Board of Funeral Services placed his license on probation for six months after he pleaded guilty to attempted theft by insurance deception, according to state records.
The board suspended Lamson’s license in June after he violated a consent agreement. But until then, he operated funeral homes in Lincoln, Millinocket, East Millinocket and Danforth, according to his company’s website.
Mainers can report possible misconduct by funeral homes to the Board of Funeral Services, said Joan Cohen, deputy commissioner for the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, which oversees the board. But she said the board is not notified when transfers are requested or executed unless someone makes an official complaint.
Cohen said discipline can depend on the specific mortuary trust agreements made, “but in general they include civil penalties, probation with terms, suspension or revocation.”
She added that Lamson’s suspension was the only one the board has issued so far this year. Suspensions and revocations are relatively rare in Maine: the board did not issue any in 2023, and it only issued one revocation in 2022, and one suspension and revocation in 2021, Cohen said.
Martin, the former funeral home director, said she dealt with Lamson a few times and faced excessive delays when she tried to transfer trusts for her clients.
“I was not the least bit shocked to hear this happened,” Martin said during a phone call Wednesday.
Martin said mortuary trusts are a valuable tool for consumers, but only as long as the funeral home is above board. Prices can be locked in at the formation of the trust, and the money may be easier to access than life insurance payouts, which she said can ease the planning process.
“If you can’t own up to your mistakes, then you shouldn’t be in the business,” she said.
WISCASSET, Maine (WMTW) – A Maine man has been arrested after police say he intentionally set a bed on fire after a dispute with his girlfriend, while they were still in it.
Police responded Monday, March 9, to a report of a fire that had been intentionally set inside a home on Beechnut Hill Road, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.
Investigators say the homeowner, Terry Couture, 41, set the bed on fire following an argument while both he and his girlfriend were in it. Authorities said the fire was extinguished and no serious injuries were reported.
Couture was arrested and charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated criminal mischief, and domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.
The investigation is ongoing.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) – Maine Maple Sunday is less than two weeks away, and the Williams Family Farm in Clifton is gearing up for one of the sweetest seasons yet.
A long stretch of frost and snow meant a late start this year, but the first boil of sap has finally run through the evaporator, and maple season is officially underway.
At Williams Family Farm, everything is done by hand:
- Fresh maple syrup, bottled on-site
- Maple sugar, carefully extracted in small batches
- Baked candied pecans, cashews, and more
The Williams family has spent years working with whatever weather sends their way.
Long winters, surprise warmups, and everything in between—they’ve learned how to adapt so community members can enjoy their products.
As co-owner John Williams explains, the key is in the temperature.
“You need to have it warm during the day and still freezing at night, so typically that’s the middle of February,” said Williams. “We have a lot of trees, so we have to start tapping them before the conditions are ideal, so we start tapping way before it’s time for it to run just so we can get them all tapped. If you have ten trees in your backyard, you want to wait until roughly now, the middle of February to now, and when it’s actually running and put them in then because you can put all your taps in, in one day.”
They’re excited to welcome the community during Maine Maple Weekend on March 21 and 22.
They will be boiling up sap, hosting demonstrations, and providing free samples.
Locals can also join them for their third annual pancake breakfast where all proceeds are donated to Holbrook Recreation.
Follow the link to find out their hours for March and more.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
The ad begins with a woman standing in a department store who sort of looks like Gov. Janet Mills, but not quite.
“Introducing the Janet Mills collection, featuring a confusing choice that forces girls to compete against biological males,” the female narrator says over banal instrumental music as the video cuts to “Mills” holding a stopwatch by an outdoor track.
The Mills collection comes “with a no-parent-permission-required estrogen kit,” the narrator continues, as the imposter holds a kit of syringes while patting a boy’s hair, which seems suspiciously stiff. The commercial ends with a real picture of the governor.
As far as ads generated by artificial intelligence go, the one from the National Republican Senatorial Committee is not very convincing. But the commercial serves as a reminder about how the emerging technology is being integrated into political campaigns and other areas of life in Maine.
If state Democratic leaders get their way, AI-generated ads like this won’t be allowed in Maine without a disclaimer.
As AI technology rapidly improves, state policymakers are weighing a variety of measures that could affect how Mainers interact with it. They are taking a two-pronged approach to protect people, especially children, from potential harms — while also preparing for the possible benefits.
The technology comes in the form of virtual personal assistants, internet search results and targeted advertising by businesses. It’s being used by governments for things ranging from traffic signals to budgets and policymaking to facial recognition to surveillance.
Mills said in a written statement that AI could help improve lives, drive economic growth and solve complex problems, but that it must be used in a “prudent, responsible, and ethical manner.”
“As AI becomes more prevalent in our society, its considerable promise must be balanced against harms — known and unforeseen — that can emerge from its widespread use,” she said. “It’s clear we’re only at the beginning of AI’s evolution.”
The governor has proposed $6.7 million in her supplemental budget to begin implementing some of the recommendations of a 21-member task force she created last year to study the issue.
Her proposal, which is being reviewed by lawmakers, would create a statewide AI literacy campaign; fund local and state partnerships to help municipalities use the technology and offer grants to support job training programs to keep Maine’s workforce competitive and productive in AI-enabled workplaces, among other things.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, are considering bills to address potential harms. In a rare bipartisan move, Republicans and Democrats voted unanimously last month in support of a bill (LD 524) making AI-generated child sex abuse material illegal. But that bill must receive about $55,000 before it can be sent to the governor.
They are also considering bills:
- To require political ads in state and local elections to include a disclosure when AI-generated or altered material is used (LD 517).
- To stop human-like chatbots or social AI companions from interacting with children (LD 2162).
- And to regulate how the technology is used in mental health settings (LD 2082).
Last year, lawmakers passed a measure including AI-generated images in the state’s ban on so-called “revenge porn,” and one requiring companies to inform consumers when they’re interacting with an AI assistant. Mills signed both into law.
Other proposals regulating AI use in medical and dental insurance claims and in setting rents died in committees. So did one prohibiting the use of AI in “dynamic pricing,” in which businesses use the technology to offer different real-time prices to different consumers.
Over 1,000 measures focusing on artificial intelligence were debated in state capitols last year, the National Conference of State Legislatures said.
Some states, such as Colorado and California, are taking steps to enact a broad regulatory framework for AI. California has provisions preventing discrimination in the workplace and requiring watermarks on AI content and transparency around data used to produce reports.
But Maine lawmakers are seeking to address potential harms on a case-by-case basis — at least for now.
“I think of it as almost a whack-a-mole type of approach where we are developing legislation that very narrowly addresses specific harms of AI,” said Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, who is taking the lead for House Democrats.
“That sort of overarching regulatory framework just feels a little premature for Maine to me right now. I want to see that work its way through the states and let some other states take a swing before we get in there.”
Republicans, however, are worried about overregulation.
Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, said her caucus is focused on protecting children from potential harms associated with AI, but she worries that regulation will never keep up with AI’s evolution.
“You can’t always legislate your way out of everything,” Poirier said. “If you have a minor that has access to AI, and it can be used to harm them in any way, it’s our responsibility as adults to keep them safe. … But we are adults, and we need to use our own common sense.”
A recent poll from Pan Atlantic Research showed widespread concern about AI, with 66% of the 810 Mainers surveyed saying they’re mostly concerned about the potential problems of AI, while 25% were mostly optimistic.
More advanced programs can generate text, analyze reports and create increasingly lifelike images and videos. A recent AI video purporting to show Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt throwing down over the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein raised alarm bells in Hollywood over its realism.
Other programs have been used by businesses in ways critics say can be exploitative. Consumer Reports recently published a story about how the online grocery shopping service Instacart used AI to charge certain customers higher prices — up to 23% more — if they were flagged as having higher incomes. Instacart reportedly stopped offering stores this option for “surveillance pricing” after the story was published in December.
A lobbying effort is underway to promote AI regulation in Maine. The “Protect What’s Human” campaign launched a website earlier this year, and a spokesperson said they have invested about $210,000 in ads supporting AI regulations. The commercials are targeting Republicans voters in the Bangor and Portland regions. The group is planning to spend another $110,000 on TV, streaming services, social media and podcasts.
Other proposals passed by the Legislature reflect lawmakers’ attempts to get ahead of the AI issue in indirect ways.
The House and Senate have each recently passed a strict data privacy law that would greatly restrict the amount of data — a person’s location, browsing and shopping histories and biometric information, for example— that companies can collect, store and sell. One of the main arguments was that such data can be used to train AI models. However, the chambers will have to iron out the differences between their two versions of the measure, LD 1822, if it is to become law.
And local residents are beginning to grapple with proposed data centers, which have been controversial in other parts of the county because they consume large amounts of water. This is especially true for centers powering AI.
Lawmakers are considering a bill, LD 307, to create a moratorium on such centers and establish a state council to study and review the impact of building them in Maine.
Construction is underway on a data center in Aroostook County, while another is being proposed in Sanford. Others have been proposed in Wiscasset and Lewiston, but did not move forward.
“This whole world is shifting to computer everything,” Poirier said, “and it’s important that we keep up with the times on that.”
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