The owners of the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound were ordered to pay just over $3.8 million for defrauding a lobstering co-op. Credit: Bill Trotter / BDN
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Maine Seacoast Mission.
By Sabrina Martin/BDN
TRENTON—A couple accused of defrauding a Maine lobsterman’s cooperative have paid their court-ordered penalty in full after selling a Winter Harbor marine facility and ferry terminal for $3.2 million.
Anthony and Josette Pettegrow were ordered to pay just over $3.8 million after they were sued in federal court in 2019 by Lobster 207 over a fraud scheme connected to the couple’s Trenton lobster pound.
Joseph Townsend, a local philanthropist and conservationist, purchased Winter Harbor Marine Center, which serves as the terminal for a ferry to Bar Harbor, according to a town official.
The sale closes a yearslong legal saga between the owners of the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound and Maine Lobstering Union Local 207, a group of fishermen that pooled money to operate a wholesale lobster business.
The conflict arose after the cooperative purchased Anthony and Josette Pettegrow’s wholesale lobster business for $4 million in 2017 and then later alleged that the family swindled the group by violating the sale terms.
The couple and their son Warren Pettegrow, who was hired as CEO of the business, were accused of embezzling funds, submitting fraudulent invoices, surcharging lobster products and violating the sale contract by operating a competing wholesale outfit.
Following the Winter Harbor sale, the Pettegrows paid the cooperative just over $3.8 million — their share of the $5 million settlement awarded to the group, according to David Johnson, an attorney for Lobster 207.
The couple’s co-defendants, including their son Warren Pettegrow, had already paid their shares of the settlement, according to court documents.
The Pettegrows own several local businesses including the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound, which was at the center of the alleged fraud scheme and is a staple for many visitors on their way to Mount Desert Island.
The Winter Harbor Marine Center was sold to Mosquito Harbor Holdings, according to real estate transfer records. The Ellsworth-based company was established in May 2026, according to filings with Maine’s Department of the Secretary of State.
Joseph Townsend, a member of the Schoodic Institute’s Board of Directors and head of a Pennsylvania park preservation nonprofit, was behind the purchase, according to a Winter Harbor town official. Last year, Townsend and his wife JoAnn purchased a historic former church in Winter Harbor to house local nonprofit Winter Harbor Music.
Townsend did not respond Tuesday to an inquiry from the Bangor Daily News.
The Schoodic Institute previously leased the site for a 20-year term to provide researchers with direct ocean access and to ensure the marina and ferry service would continue operating. That agreement was dissolved during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a local realty group.
The marine facility, which offers 13 registered moorings, was first listed for sale a year ago by LandVest-Christie’s for $4.95 million.
The Pettegrows filed for bankruptcy last year, following the $5 million settlement between the parties. The union argued they did so to avoid paying the judgment, according to court records. The Trenton lobster pound also filed for bankruptcy but has remained open for business.
This story appears through a media partnership with the Bangor Daily News.
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