Whitefield Tax Collector Robin White has admitted to stealing $17,000 from the town and has resigned, according to a statement by the Whitefield Board of Selectmen.
The selectmen announced the “misappropriation” and White’s resignation in a statement Tuesday, Nov. 11.
White voluntarily disclosed her actions, which took place over the past two years, and submitted a formal resignation Nov. 6, according to the statement. She has already returned $6,000 of the missing funds, and agreed to repay the full amount by Saturday, Nov. 15.
“Townspeople need to be assured that none of their personal accounts are being affected,” Whitefield Selectman Dennis Merrill told The Lincoln County News. “It’s our understanding that she’s going to make good on returning the money.”
White, represented by attorney Roger Katz, of Lipman & Katz in Augusta, is working with auditors to review all accounts impacted and has agreed to submit a detailed description, in writing, of how the misappropriation took place.
“I want to emphasize that Robin was not under any investigation,” Katz told the The Lincoln County News about her decision to come forward. “She was having some financial difficulties and family issues and started to borrow money from the cash account of the town.”
“Things just snowballed and she got in over her head,” Katz said. “She felt really terrible about what she had done and wanted to come clean.”
The selectmen are not “actively pursuing a criminal action” against White, but reserve the right to do so “pending the discovery of any new information and the outcome of the municipal audit,” according to the statement.
“Robin’s worked (for Whitefield) a long time and there’s a lot of affection for her,” Katz said. “The selectmen I’ve talked to certainly feel sad about what’s happened. They want to make sure that the town is whole, but there’s no desire to ruin her life over this.”
The district attorney could decide to press felony charges due to the amount of money involved, independent of the selectmen, Katz said. However, he is hopeful no one will feel that criminal charges are necessary.
“She’s devastated by what she’s done,” Katz said.
Auditors will also review the town’s administrative procedures and make recommendations to prevent “similar events” in the future, the selectmen said.
