Ex-lawmaker convicted in election case

ALFRED – A former state lawmaker accused of illegal political campaign activity has been found guilty of theft and forgery charges in a case involving state Clean Election funds.

Sentencing on five felony counts has been scheduled Sept. 20 for Peter Throumoulos, 58, of Old Orchard Beach.

The Portland Press Herald reported that a York County Superior Court jury found him guilty Wednesday of stealing $18,000 in connection with his 2004 state Senate race, and of attempting to steal a similar amount during his 2006 state Senate race. Jurors also found him guilty of three counts of aggravated forgery.

Throumoulos, who represented himself during the trial, acknowledged that election petition signatures were faked but said he didn’t do it. He blamed college students who were planted as volunteers in his campaign by opponents and said he had met with the students but wouldn’t identify them because he had given them his word he would not involve them.

The state argued that the students didn’t exist.

Throumoulos, who described himself most recently as an independent, has belonged to both the Democratic and Republican parties. He served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives in the 1970s and is a former Biddeford city councilor.