A candidate for district attorney in Maine is in some legal trouble of his own after two women took out protection from abuse orders against him.
The law license of Seth Carey is now under suspension and he could be removed from the Maine bar.
The Maine Republican Party has urged Carey to drop out of his race but Carey remains confident he can beat incumbent Democrat Andrew Robinson and become the next district attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties.
“There’s no bad publicity,” Carey said after his ex-girlfriend took out a protection from abuse order against him last week.
In the Oct. 19 filing, Carey’s former girlfriend says she is “scared for [her] safety” after “he followed me, harassed me, and even sat parked in my driveway.”
The accuser, who has asked necn to protect her privacy and not use her name, told a judge that she was so scared of Carey that “I hugged my family before I left to confront him, and texted my friend asking them to call the police if they hadn’t heard from me.”
Carey called the woman a liar and has made prosecuting false allegations part of his platform.
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“It’s totally ridiculous,” he said. “I would caution people that my case is an example of it going too far, where false accusers can come out and ride the wave of the Me Too movement.”
When reached by phone Wednesday, Carey’s ex-girlfriend said she stood by her testimony in the PFA filing.
“I wouldn’t lie about this,” she said. “The fact that another woman has accused Carey of similar behavior gives her story credibility.”
Last spring, a former client filed a PFA against Carey alleging sexual abuse and misconduct. His law license was temporarily suspended. Those allegations became public before the June primary election but Carey still defeated Republican challenger Alex Willette, an assistant district attorney in Sagadahoc County.
Carey believes he won the primary because his messages about illegal immigration, government corruption, and false accusers are resonating with voters.
“I’m an outsider,” Carey said. “I’m doing what’s right for the people, and I answer to no one.”
The allegations from his former client triggered a disbarment hearing in front of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court last summer. In a Sept. 21 decision, Justice Thomas Warren found the allegations to be credible. A Nov. 14 hearing will determine disciplinary measures, which could include disbarment.
Carey believes he could still serve as District Attorney even if he is removed from the Maine bar.
“I could still do my job, no problem,” he said. “I’m going to manage the [assistant district attorneys] from an office. I’m not going to be the one in court arguing before a jury.”
Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Carey qualified for the ballot at the time he filed. Now it’s up to the voters to decide if his legal issues are disqualifying for public office. If he does win and then loses his law license, it could be up the Justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to decide on the removal of a district attorney.
His ex-girlfriend hopes Robinson wins on Nov. 6.
“I would not trust [Carey] in that position,” she said. “Do people really think he can be a good district attorney if he can’t even practice law right now?”
Robinson did not respond to a request for comment.
Before his run for district attorney, Carey was best-known for filing a lawsuit against the NFL, attempting to recover the draft picks the Patriots lost as part of the Deflategate controversy.
