LEWISTON, Maine — Amy Sussman, the aunt of Lewiston mass shooting victim Maxx Hathaway, said Monday that one nonprofit that received money from the Lewiston–Auburn Area Response Fund has agreed to return it, a development she described as the first meaningful step toward correcting what critics have called a betrayal of donor intent. Sussman has worked tirelessly on this issue and has been successful on getting national getting attention on this sensitive topic.
Sussman appeared on Maine Wire TV Monday (Jan. 26, 2026) and said the nonprofit has not yet agreed to be publicly identified, but that the funds are expected to be redirected back to the portion of the relief effort intended for victims and their families.
The tragedy and the fund
The dispute traces back to the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston, when Robert Card killed 18 people and wounded 13 at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille, according to Gov. Janet Mills’ executive order establishing an independent commission to investigate the tragedy. The order says Card was found dead Oct. 27, 2023, of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a large manhunt.
In the aftermath, the Maine Community Foundation established the Lewiston–Auburn Area Response Fund. The foundation later announced that $1.9 million was distributed to 29 nonprofits through recovery-related grants.
Why it became a scandal
Critics, including Sussman and other victims’ relatives, have argued that donors believed their money was going directly to victims, and that nonprofits that were not directly affected by the tragedy received significant checks while many organizations have not clearly explained what they did with the funds or how it helped victims and survivors.
The Maine Wire has reported on the structure of the fund and the controversy over nonprofit distributions, including Sussman’s advocacy and her push for transparency on what recipient organizations delivered in return for the money.
Sussman said Monday’s development matters because it shifts the debate from outrage to action: money being put back where grieving families believe it belongs, even if, for now, the nonprofit is staying anonymous.
LePage family involvement and rising political pressure
Former Gov. Paul LePage (R) and his daughter Lauren LePage have also worked to bring attention to the issue, amplifying calls for accountability and transparency as the controversy has grown.
LePage is also a candidate for U.S. Congress in Maine’s 2nd District, adding fresh political visibility to the dispute.
David Jones petition calls for federal action
The pressure campaign has widened further with a Change.org petition launched by Republican gubernatorial candidate David Jones, urging the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate how the Lewiston shooting donations were handled.
Petition link:
https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-doj-investigate-lewiston-shooting-fund-fraud
Sussman said the nonprofit’s decision to return money doesn’t end the broader controversy, but she framed it as a precedent: proof that public pressure can force movement, and that the push to prioritize victims and families is no longer being brushed aside.
