A Rangeley man going to trial this month on charges he led a multi-year criminal marijuana operation was arrested Friday after he allegedly obtained a firearm and threatened law enforcement involved in his case.
Lucas Sirois, 45, was arrested Friday for illegal receipt of a firearm while under indictment. A motion to revoke bail was filed Sunday in federal court in Bangor, and Sirois made an initial appearance Monday.
Federal prosecutors have called Sirois the ringleader in the marijuana case, which started with a bust at a former shoe factory and several other places in Franklin County in July 2020. Charges were filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2021.
Sirois was one of 12 defendants charged in connection to the marijuana operation; some of them were implicated in a money laundering scheme as well. All but Sirois and his father, Robert Sirois, 71, of Farmington have pleaded guilty to charges and await sentencing.
Sirois had been released on $500,000 secured bond since he pleaded not guilty to drug and other charges in federal court on Oct. 28, 2021.
Jury selection in Sirois’ case was scheduled to begin Wednesday, with the trial to start Nov. 12.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the complaint by FBI special agent Kurt Ormberg, a cooperating witness said Sirois reached out and asked them to provide him with firearms, ammunition, and outdoor gear that he had previously left at the witness’s residence.
The witness said Sirois made several statements regarding his case and “his disdain for a particular law enforcement officer and a federal official involved in the prosecution of the underlying offense,” according to the affidavit.
“Specifically, the witness reported that the defendant stated to them, to the best of their recollection: ‘I want to let you know that if I get wind this case isn’t going right, I am going to end everyone that put me in this position,'” the document states.
The witness left the items on their front porch and Sirois picked them up, as verified by video footage. Law enforcement located and arrested Sirois on Friday at a bar in Farmington, the document states.
In plain view in Sirois’ vehicle, law enforcement saw two firearms, which matched the firearms picked up by Sirois earlier Friday.
On Sunday, law enforcement searched Sirois’ vehicle, finding shotgun shells and other ammunition matching what was picked up Friday, the motion to revoke bail states.
Law enforcement also located a tube that contained 10 water-soluble sticks, each containing 10 milligrams of THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
Found in a cup holder in the vehicle, investigators noted, was an open can of a nonalcoholic beverage containing 5 milligrams of Delta-9 THC per can. However, this level of THC concentration appears to be lower than the threshold to meet the definition of a controlled substance, according to the motion.
Also located in the vehicle was a vial of an injectable form of testosterone requiring a medical prescription. No prescription information was located on the vial and the Pretrial Services Office has no documentation of such prescription, the motion states.
“Based on the information, Sirois has violated the conditions of his release and there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a federal crime while on release conditions,” the motion states.
An attorney for Sirois, Jason H. Ehrenberg, said Monday he had “no comment at this time.”
Former Franklin County Assistant District Attorney Kayla Alves, formerly of Farmington, pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with documents in a plea agreement as part of the case. She was sentenced to two years probation and a $2,000 fine after admitting she told a former law enforcement officer he was under investigation in the case and for deleting text messages with him.
Other co-defendants included two former Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies, a tax preparer, a Rangeley business man and others.
Sirois’ estranged wife, Alisa Sirois, 43, pleaded guilty in May to a charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in a plea agreement.
Tax preparer Kenneth Allen of Farmington pleaded guilty Friday to his part in the operation.
Of those co-defendants, charges were dismissed against a former Wilton police officer and former Oxford County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Lucas and Robert Sirois were indicted on a superseding indictment in August and both pleaded not guilty Sept. 16 to new federal charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Lucas Sirois also pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and impede and impair the IRS, tax evasion, and three counts of maintaining drug-involved premises in Farmington and Avon.
