Local News

No charges for CEO accused of setting boat loose off Nantucket

The man reportedly agreed to pay for damages stemming from the October incident, the Nantucket Current reported.

This boat, known as "Fair Play," was set adrift from Old North Wharf on Oct. 16. Courtesy of Bruce Beebe

January 6, 2023

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A private equity CEO accused of untying a boat off Nantucket and setting it adrift in October will not face criminal charges, the Nantucket Current reported.

Marc Wolpow, who heads the multi-billion dollar Audax Group, was accused of taking matters into his own hands when he spotted a boat docked in his assigned slip at Old North Wharf.

Nantucket

‘I don’t know what he was thinking’: Man accused of setting boat adrift from Nantucket wharf

The untied boat made contact with other vessels, resulting in damage, The Boston Globe reported in November.

The man who docked the boat there, a local fisherman named Bruce Beebe, said the president of the wharf cooperative gave him permission to dock at one of the empty slips at Old North Wharf, according to the Globe. He left the boat there around sunset and returned the next morning to find it gone.

The Massachusetts Environmental Police sought a criminal complaint against Wolpow in Nantucket District Court, according to the Current. However, since Wolpow wasn’t arrested, the matter was reviewed at a closed-door “show cause” hearing held before a district court clerk magistrate.

Wolpow reportedly agreed to pay for damages, according to the Current, which added that Nantucket District Court clerk magistrate Don Hart confirmed there are no pending criminal charges against Wolpow.

His attorney, Jim Merberg, declined to comment on the case. The Massachusetts Environmental Police could not immediately be reached for comment.

However, two of the victims told the Current they were satisfied with the outcome and didn’t feel criminal charges were necessary.