Maine AG's Office Accidentally Emails Confidential Case File

A supervisor in the criminal division at the Maine Attorney General's Office mistakenly sent reporters, including WMTW, a 45-page internal file with confidential case details at 2:50 p.m. on October 8, 2026, WMTW reported. The file described dozens of killings and manslaughter cases across the state and named people suspected but not yet charged, along with case evidence that had not been made public.

Three minutes later, at 2:53 p.m., the supervisor recalled the message. Half an hour after that, at 3:21 p.m., the office followed up and asked anyone who had gotten the email to delete it and the attachment.

"The inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information by this office was a mistake and we own that," the Maine Attorney General's Office said in comments issued around 6:12 p.m. on October 8, 2026. Officials blamed the error on the wrong distribution list — one meant for releasing public information to reporters — and asked news organizations not to make the mistake worse. The file appeared to have been intended only to prompt attorneys and investigators to revise their internal case notes.

This story was first reported by WMTW.