ELLSWORTH — A former U.S. Senate candidate is due in court for a hearing about allegations he pointed a gun at a former campaign staffer.
Max Linn, a former U.S. Senate candidate, photographed in January 2021 in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Max Linn ran as a conservative independent in a 2020 Senate race that was won by incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. He gained notoriety for his antics during the debates, including a stunt in which he cut up a mask from the podium. He also replied “request denied” when debate moderators asked that he stay on topic.
He made news several years earlier over fraudulent signatures used in a previous attempt to get on the ballot. Before that, he lived in Florida, where he ran for several offices.
Matt McDonald, a former campaign aide, brought a protection order against Linn this fall. McDonald alleged in court documents that Linn gave him money to invest in cryptocurrency this year, but then Linn reversed course upon return from an overseas trip and sought to buy drugs falsely touted as COVID-19 cures. Linn pointed a gun in McDonald’s direction when the two met to try to resolve the dispute, McDonald said in the court filing.
“I went to court because I believe my family could be in danger,” McDonald told the Bangor Daily News.
Linn’s attorney at the time, Steve Juskewitch, confirmed that Linn gave McDonald $225,000 to invest in cryptocurrency but denied that Linn threatened McDonald with a gun or sought to buy medicine or drugs.
The case is due for a hearing Wednesday in an Ellsworth courtroom. Linn’s current attorney, Jeff Silverstein, said he was looking forward to responding to “baseless allegations” from the complainant. Silverstein said Linn and the complainant are former friends and business associates.
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