Maine State Rep. Josh Morris (R-Turner), ranking Republican member of the Legislature’s Insurance Committee, sent a letter Wednesday to Acting Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance Tim Schott calling for an investigation into alleged fraudulent insurance practices by Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Allagash).
“I am writing on behalf of the thousands of Mainers that buy insurance, play by the rules, and are concerned about rising costs,” Rep. Morris wrote. “Any potential malfeasance should be taken seriously and investigated.”
In his letter, Morris outlines information uncovered by the Maine Wire related to a lawsuit he filed against the previous owners of an Augusta home he bought in 2019. In the lawsuit, Jackson alleged that the sellers concealed a carpenter ant infestation, fire damage, and pervasive water and mold damage in the home.
The couple who sold Jackson the Augusta home, Paul and Jane Godbout, 65, vigorously deny his allegations.
The Godbouts claim that they’ve spent more than $30,000 in legal fees trying to defend themselves from Jackson’s lawsuit.
Shortly after moving into the home, Jackson and his girlfriend Lana Pelletier sent two demand letters to the Godbouts, demanding the reversal of the home sale and a refund, claiming that they illegally concealed significant damage to the home that decreased the home’s value.
After the Godbouts failed to comply with his demands, Jackson’s attorney filed a complaint in Kennebec County Superior Court on June 5, 2020 — the case is ongoing.
Court records from a counterclaim filed by the Godbouts revealed that the couple had paid for AmeriSpec Inspection Services to conduct an inspection of the house prior to the sale to Jackson and Pelletier.
Despite the inspection report indicating that there was evidence of carpenter ants — which Jackson and Pelletier admitted to having received — they did not take the inspection’s recommended action of hiring a licensed pest inspector.
In January 2021, three years after Jackson acquired the property, he filed an insurance claim with Traveler’s Insurance for the damage to the house, for which it appears he received more than $5,000.
“If the damages caused related to the claim filed in January of 2021 were caused before the Senate President acquired the house, this would certainly raise concerns that warrant an investigation and should be addressed,” Morris wrote to the head of the Maine Bureau of Insurance.
“I am sure you would agree with me that insurance fraud is not a victimless crime,” Morris wrote in his letter. “It costs consumers more money in premiums every year for the investigation and payout of false claims. At a time of record inflation that is causing premiums to rise, these costs pile up even more.”
More of the Maine Wire’s coverage on the Troy Jackson scandal:
- Payments to Troy Jackson for Travel, Lodging Nearly Doubled After He Bought Home in Augusta, Totaled $160k from 2019-2023
- The Mortgage Broker Troy Jackson Threw Under the Bus Denies Wrongdoing: “Something seems a little fishy here”
- Maine’s Governor Mills Says Ethics Commission Will Decide Senate President Troy Jackson’s Fate
- Troy Jackson Admits: He “Never Really Read” FHA Mortgage Doc He Signed and Failed to Satisfy
- Ethics Complaint Against Troy Jackson Officially Filed Over Residency Requirement Violation, Potential Fraud
See Rep. Morris’ full letter to the Acting Superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance below:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="22292 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=22292">1 Comment
It’s sad today this but Jackson may not be investigated throughly and certainly not charged with any crime for the simple reason that he is a fellow Democrat.
Recent history points that Democrats slide through misdeeds that are never investigated and seldom if ever charged. Remember when Hillary was subpoenaed for emails and she then destroyed 30,000 emails in defiance. The government and the press in corruption basicly looked the other way. and allowed it to quietly die. The current way is that high ranking Democrats slide through a very visible double standard.
I will be surprised if anything come of this as people will simply move on to the next shenanigan.