Maine Wildlife Chief on Covering Up Dark Web Drug Scandal Involving Ex-Husband: "can’t talk about personnel..."
Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso admitted -- perhaps inadvertently -- to knowing that the state Office of Information Technology flagged an IFW employee for illegal activity on a state device.
During Saturday's annual moose hunt lottery, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judith Camuso accidentally confirmed that a former IF&W supervisor used a state-issued device to purchase drugs on the dark web, an illegal act that went unprosecuted partly because state officials chose to conceal the incident.
According to information provided to The Robinson Report by a source, the state Office of Information Technology (OIT) caught IF&W Resource Supervisor Stephen S. Walker attempting to purchase contraband from an international vendor using cryptocurrency and a state computer.
Camuso, Warden Service Col. Dan Scott, and HR Director Amanda Beckwith were all aware of the report but did not bring the allegations to law enforcement.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Camuso said when asked about the allegations Saturday.
“I can’t talk about personnel,” Camuso said.
After an armed aide stepped in to end the interview, Camuso further explained off-camera that the incident “happened a long time ago.”
Walker could have faced state or federal charges for his attempt to purchase drugs from a Canadian supplier.
However, rather than refer the case to the Attorney General’s Office or the State Police, the IF&W big shots allowed Walker to go on paid leave before he was rewarded with what amounts to a promotion to a new gig as Director of the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program.
Such a lucky turn of events might have something to do with Walker being Commissioner Camuso’s ex-husband.
Or perhaps it might have had something to do with Walker’s spouse at the time being Cumberland County District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris.
Both Camuso and Sartoris are prominent Democrat politicians in Maine with close ties to Maine Gov. Janet Mills.
LMF, where Walker found a soft landing, is led by a three-person board, which Camuso currently chairs.
According to the information provided to the Maine Wire, Scott, the top game warden in Maine, was assigned to investigate whether Walker’s actions violated state law.
“Colonel Dan Scott was asked to research if this was a violation of state law. The answer was yes,” the source said. “HR Director Amanda Beckwith was asked if she reported the possible crime to the Attorney General’s Office. She stated that she had bosses, and the answer was no.”
Neither Scott nor Beckwith responded to an email asking for an interview.
Watch the interview here:
According to state payroll records, Walker received compensation worth $45.4k as a supervisor at IF&W in 2023—the year he was placed on administrative leave. Records also show he went on to receive $42.8k at LMF.
However, Walker didn’t last long as director of LMF.
DACF announced his replacement, Laura Graham, in Dec. 2023.
Tax records indicate that Walker was, for at least part of the fiscal year ending June 2024, the executive director of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust.
But that employment, too, was brief, considering Walker’s reported compensation for the full-time role was less than $10,000.
Oddly, Walker’s LinkedIn account currently makes it appear as though he ended his job with IF&W in 2013 and went directly to work for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust as a mid-coast regional project manager.
The profile totally skips his tenure as a supervisor at IF&W under his ex-wife, as well as his brief stints at LMF and the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust.
Walker did not return a message left on his mobile phone.
Had Walker been charged criminally for attempting to purchase drugs on the dark web, the news would have been awkward for his then-wife Sartoris, the district attorney for one of Maine’s most drug-crime infested metro areas.
Sartoris isn’t just any prosecutor, either.
When she ran to unseat a moderate Democratic incumbent, none other than left-wing mega-donor George Soros dumped $300k into her campaign, easily making it the most expensive DA race in Maine history.
Camuso declined to say whether she’d talked with Sartoris about Walker’s exit from IF&W.
It’s unclear whether Walker and Sartoris are still an item.
Sartoris did not respond to emails asking whether she was aware of the reason for Walker’s sudden departure from the state agency.
Property records suggest the pair were living together in Brunswick at the time of his resignation. But in March 2024, registry records show that Walker agreed to assign the co-owned property exclusively to Sartoris via quitclaim deed.
Walker also served as a town councilor for Brunswick until he resigned partway through his term last year. According to a post at WCME, Walker said that a change in his personal life had caused him to move out of Brunswick’s District 2 town council seat, which is why he resigned the seat.
Walker holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University.
The Robinson Report has submitted a Freedom of Access Act request for public records pending with OIT for records that should shed light on who else within state government was aware of Walker’s dark web spelunking.
The Robinson Report is a Substack from Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson, featuring video interviews, podcasts, and in-depth investigative reporting. If you like our investigations, consider sharing our work on social media, subscribing (paid or free), or telling your friends and family to check us out at AsMaineGoes.com.
Why bother? WW all know in Maine Corrupt Democrats are exempt from all Maine laws!