COURIER-GAZETTE • February 13, 2023
A man who abandoned a massive waste disposal site near the Maine coast decades ago is now facing a potential prison sentence in Michigan after pleading guilty to defrauding an Indigenous tribe of more than $1 million. Chester Randall Dunican is to be sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Michigan. In 1997, he bought land in Warren, Maine, and touted plans to create the largest rifle range on the East Coast. Dunican said he needed to accept polyester fiber scraps from the former Gates Formed-Fibre Products Inc. of Auburn to create berms for the rifle range. Gates paid the Dunican an estimated $1 million. The Maine DEP issued an order to stop accepting waste after finding Dunican brought in far more than allowed, created a fire hazard and failed to establish an escrow account to cover the cost of cleanup. He abandoned the property with more than 27,000 tons of waste. Dunican also operated Schooner Landing in Damariscotta and Mt. Abrams ski resort. Both faced multiple liens.