A Chelsea man installed cameras above where firefighters sleep at the Togus Veteran Affairs Medical Center campus in Augusta, according to federal court records.

Michael Nicholas, 47, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of delivering a false statement to federal officers.

Nicholas’ connection to the Department of Veterans Affairs is not listed in court records. Payroll data for federal employees shows that a Michael Nicholas was employed in fire protection and prevention there from at least 2015 to 2023. Two current Togus employees previously told the Portland Press Herald that Nicholas worked in the fire department.

Togus is 5 miles from downtown Augusta. The 500-acre campus is surrounded by trees; the property was originally used as a summer resort. The on-site fire department serves veterans, their families and Togus employees, and supports neighboring fire departments.

Special agents for the VA Office of Inspector General conducted an investigation in May 2025, after police removed several Blink cameras that March, according to court records.

Nicholas told the agents he wasn’t aware there were cameras up, prosecutors stated, “when in truth and in fact the defendant purchased the Blink cameras, had seen the cameras when he installed them in the ceiling of sleeping quarters in the VA firehouse, and knew they were in the ceiling after he installed them.”

Blink cameras are small and often purchased for home security, according to the company’s website. Users can access cameras in real time from an accompanying cellphone app.

Investigators later obtained purchasing records, showing Nicholas had bought the cameras, and found his fingerprints under electrical tape wrapped around the cameras, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Ruge wrote in court records. Ruge wrote that Nicholas later admitted to buying and installing the cameras.

An attorney for Nicholas could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday and an attempt to reach Nicholas was unsuccessful. A spokesperson for Togus and the VA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Their agency’s Office of Inspector General spokesperson referred a reporter to Togus.

A current Togus firefighter who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution said every firefighter who works in the department has slept in the rooms where the cameras were. When they were discovered last year, it created discontent in the fire department, he said. For a while it was unclear who had installed the cameras, and “everyone was pointing fingers,” he said.

“This isn’t how fire departments operate. We’re supposed to be who has each other’s backs,” he said.

Unhappy with a lack of communication from Togus and VA leadership about the investigation over the past year, some firefighters have been looking for other jobs, he said, in order to get away from the situation.

“It’s hard working as long as we do under the stress that we do, when we’re upset about the situation because it hasn’t been concluded,” he said.

Nicholas was indicted on the charge in May, but records were sealed and not available until his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock agreed to release Nicholas on personal recognizance Wednesday.

Nicholas faces up to five years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines.