A Rangeley man indicted on federal charges related to an alleged illicit marijuana and money laundering operation will stay in custody while a judge considers a motion to revoke bail ahead of his trial.
Lucas Sirois was arrested Oct. 31 after officials said he obtained a firearm illegally while under indictment and made threats against people involved in his case.
Prior to the hearing on revoking Sirois’ bail Thursday in federal court in Bangor, Sirois’ attorneys said their client did not violate release conditions or commit a new crime.
In his response to the state’s motion to revoke bail, defense attorney Jason Ehrenberg of Holon Law Group in New York argued the government is mischaracterizing the facts. He said the motion utilizes an unsupported reading of federal law and a witness “whose credibility is fatally compromised by motive, timing, and prior inconsistent statements.”
The attorneys asked the federal court to deny the motion. The additional conditions of release placed on Sirois “imposed no firearm prohibition” and “early advice of counsel confirmed he was permitted to possess and use his hunting rifles, on which he relied in good faith,” according to Ehrenberg’s response.
The witness who told authorities about the firearms lived rent-free at Sirois’ home in Franklin County, the defense attorneys said. As such, Sirois was simply retrieving “pre-indictment possession — long-kept hunting implements stored at his residence.”
Deer hunting for Maine residents started the day following Sirois’ arrest.
In an affidavit filed in support of a motion by FBI special agent Kurt Ormberg to arrest Sirois for allegedly violating conditions of his release, the 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 residence.
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.
The cooperating 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 FBI affidavit.
“Specifically, the witness reported that the defendant (Sirois) 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.
Sirois is scheduled to go on trial Nov. 12 in federal court in Bangor on charges he led a multiyear criminal marijuana operation. He was released on $500,000 secured bond in 2021 after he was indicted the first time. He has pleaded not guilty to initial charges and to the superseding indictment charges in September. He had remained free on the secured bond until Friday when he was arrested.
