Maine is poised to stop collecting income tax on money stolen from victims of certain types of scams under legislation that moved forward Thursday with strong bipartisan support.
LD 714 would align state law with federal income tax changes adopted last year by the Internal Revenue Service, which now allows some victims to claim a theft deduction.
The Legislature’s taxation committee voted 12-0 to send the bill to the House and Senate with an “ought to pass” recommendation. If it becomes law, it would apply to scams that began after Jan. 1, 2023.
To qualify for a theft deduction, the IRS stipulates that the loss must result from criminal conduct classified as theft under state law; the taxpayer must have no reasonable expectation of recovering the stolen funds; and the loss must arise from the theft of funds while invested.
The deduction doesn’t apply to losses from romance scams, false kidnappings and other frauds where victims transfer funds to scammers for non-investment purposes, Steven Langlin, a legislative analyst, told the taxation committee.
Committee member Rep. Gary Friedmann, D-Bar Harbor, noted that older Mainers are especially vulnerable as residents of the oldest state, with a median age of 44.8, according to the U.S. Census.
“I’m moved that we do all we can to protect our seniors,” Friedmann said.
Rep. Thomas Lavigne, R-Berwick, also a committee member, described a recent online scam he experienced. “It was terrible and it can happen to anybody,” he said.
The legislation was drafted after the Portland Press Herald reported on a China couple who lost $1.3 million in a government impersonation scam.
From October 2023 to April 2024, Larry and Barbara Cook drained their retirement accounts and transferred the money as bitcoin and gold bullion to scammers posing as Federal Trade Commission investigators. The scammers convinced the couple that it was the only way to protect their savings, which became taxable income once they cashed out their retirement accounts.
“Unlike the IRS, the current Maine tax law does not allow deduction for fraud from gross income,” Larry Cook, 82, said in written testimony to the tax committee. “The fraud and its ongoing consequences have impacted us financially, emotionally and even physically.”
Committee member Rep. Kristina Smith, R-Palermo, represents the Cooks and submitted a copy of the Press Herald article with her written testimony.
“This bill protects the most vulnerable among us — seniors with substantial but finite savings, people with limited technological familiarity, and anyone who falls prey to highly organized criminal schemes,” Smith said.
Scams are on the rise. The number of complaints about government impersonation scams in particular increased 50% in recent years, from 11,554 incidents worth $240.6 million in 2022 to 17,367 incidents worth $405.6 million in 2024, according to the latest FBI data.
Among people age 60 and up, scams involving cryptocurrency more than tripled in the same period, from 9,991 incidents worth $1 billion to 33,369 incidents worth $2.8 billion.
The recent rain in Maine is easing the drought that parts of the state have been experiencing since the fall.
Scott Dean, a Spectrum meteorologist, said much of Maine has been at least “dry” for several months. Parts of the state, including Portland, Bangor and Bar Harbor, are under a “moderate” drought.
Much of the country is also experiencing a drought, Dean added. The Southeast is seeing extreme levels of drought, and the West coast has been under a drought for years. There are many factors that go into this, including climate change, weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña and other factors.
And, when an area does experience drought, it can become a feedback loop. With less moisture in the ground and atmosphere, the drought can “feed upon itself,” Dean said.
“It takes a while to get into a drought and it also takes a while to get out of one,” Dean said.
But, the rainy days in Maine have been alleviating the drought, Dean said. And, the trend is likely to continue — the forecast is predicting above average levels of precipitation for the next three to four weeks.
“Hopefully, we are continuing to head in the right direction as the drought has eased in these areas,” Dean said.
In fact, if these rains do continue, Maine could come out of the drought sometime this summer.
Craig Joseph Ahlemeyer
STANDISH – Craig J. Ahlemeyer, 48 of Standish, passed away unexpectedly, Saturday, June 13, 2026.A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 27 th at Standish Congregational Church, 25 Oak Hill Road in Standish. A reception will follow.To see Craig’s full obituary, share a memory or leave the family an online condolence, please visit http://www.athutchins.com.
“Do you ever think we could find some woods to walk in?” my outdoorsy 12-year-old asks me, every now and again. As a kid growing up in New York City, Anton appreciates all the skate parks and bagel shops, but he also really craves nature, like in his bones.
So, when school got out, I offered to take him for a weekend in Maine, a place with not only woods but also lakes and rocks and periwinkles that come out of their shells when you hum. We were both really excited.
The first night, we were lucky enough to snag a room at Aragosta, a beautiful small hotel in Deer Isle that Alison had recommended.
The chef-owner, Devin Finigan, is famous for her seasonal tasting menus, but we focused on the breakfast that came with the room, including these Maine blueberry pancakes. I don’t even usually like pancakes and these blew my mind.
We also played a LOT of chess on our little travel board.
After breakfast, we set out to hike up Blue Hill Mountain.
Here’s the summit!
In the afternoon, we explored the charming fishing village of Stonington…
…then joined my friend Julie (of Rudy Jude fame) and her family for dinner at the Burnt Cove Boil.
Basically, a crab gets plonked down in front of you, followed by a corn on the cob, then a lobster, then a classic ice-cream sandwich. Julie and her husband Anthony taught us how to get all the meat out. (Their kids were already pros.)
Afterward, the four boys scrambled around on the rocks, while the adults chatted. It’s always such a treat to hang out with people who live in the place you’re visiting, don’t you think? Julie and Anthony described how they brought their recently hatched chicks into their home to keep them warm, and all the peeping was sooooo loud — and then a cricket got into the house and added to the noise and no one could find it and everyone was going nuts, haha. Very different from city life!
The next day, Anton and I stayed at the lovely Asticou Hotel near Acadia National Park.
We drove to a couple trailheads but they were PACKED — you had to stand in a long line, just to start the hike! Luckily, we found a quieter area and took a long walk around Jordan Pond, playing Would You Rather and Categories along the way. Do you have any favorite travel games?
Finally, we skimmed stones on our last afternoon before heading back to Brooklyn.
Epic travel buddy
Oh, Maine, what a magical place! Not pictured, of course: traffic, grumpy preteen moments, locking our keys in the rental car, etc., but all that’s to be expected.
Have you been to Maine? Do you live there? What parts do you love? Any pro tips? I’d love to hear. xoxo
P.S. Our Maine trip — and another amazing hotel — when the boys were much younger, and a Maine home with a bedroom looking over water.
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