Crime

A former candidate for Maine governor is disbarred over possessing images of child sexual abuse

FILE - Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler speaks at a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, in Portland, Maine.
FILE - Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler speaks at a news conference Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, in Portland, Maine. AP Photo/Joel Page, File

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Eliot Cutler, a wealthy attorney who came close to being elected governor has been disbarred following the completion of his sentence for possessing thousands of images of child sexual abuse, officials said.

A judge on Monday signed off on the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar recommendation that the 77-year-old Cutler should no longer practice law. Cutler did not oppose the board’s decision, which was made months ago. He was previously disbarred in New York.

The criminal case marked a dramatic fall for Cutler, who launched a Washington-based environmental law firm after serving as an aide to Sen. Edmund Muskie and as the top energy and environmental adviser to President Jimmy Carter.

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Running as an independent for governor, he narrowly lost — by less than 2 percentage points — to Republican Paul LePage in 2010 and then lost again by a wider margin in 2014.

Cutler was sentenced under a plea agreement in which he received a four-year term but was required to serve only nine months. He received time off for good behavior and was released earlier this year.

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