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Maine man allegedly stole $225,000 from late Senate candidate Max Linn

Nick Woodward
/
Maine Public file
Max Linn at a Maine Public debate in Oct. 2020 in Augusta, Maine.

BANGOR, Maine — A former campaign worker who accused one-time U.S. Senate candidate Max Linn of pointing a gun at him in a dispute over cryptocurrency is now accused of stealing $225,000 from the late candidate.

Matthew T. McDonald, who worked on Linn's Senate bid in 2020, is accused of taking money from Linn that was supposed to be invested in “certain digital assets.”

The two men traded accusations and in Oct. 2021 McDonald accused Linn of pointing a gun at him. Linn died in Dec. 2021.

The Bangor Daily News first reported the indictment, which was for a single count of theft by deception last week. It's unclear if McDonald has a lawyer, and he didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment on Tuesday.

Linn was a conservative independent in the 2020 Senate race in Maine that was won by incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

He gained notoriety for his antics during the debates.

One debate stunt involved cutting up a mask from the podium, as he derided COVID-19 restrictions. He also replied “request denied” when debate moderators asked that he stay on topic. Later, he was present outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 protesting Democrat Joe Biden’s election.