Avenger Out; Millinocket Reverses Earlier Decision to Extend Loan to Boat Company

MILLINOCKET -- On a unanimous vote, the town council rescinded an order made two weeks ago to approve a $50,000 loan agreement to Avenger Boats, a subsidiary of American Boat Builders.

Two weeks ago, the loan was approved on a 6:1 vote, with only Councilor Polstein dissenting.

At the time that he cast the sole vote against the loan, Polstein expressed his concern that not enough information was known about the company.

“I feel that we have not had the time to get the information we need,” said Polstein two weeks ago.

He was right.

“There has been a wealth of information that has come forth over the last two weeks, including some as late as this afternoon, that would indicate this proposal probably is not in the best interest of the town at this time,” said Town Manager, Eugene Conlogue, at this Thursday’s town meeting.

“It would be impossible for the town of Millinocket to support this project,” added Conlogue.

Avenger Boats is a subsidiary of American Boat Builders, Inc. of Kennebunkport, Maine.

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Avenger Boats, according to information found on their web site and in press releases, “designs, develops and manufactures high performance patrol boats for use in Port Security, Homeland Security, Coast Guard and the Littoral Combat Ship.”

Avenger Boats, Inc. claims also to provide logistics and support services to General Dynamics.

No one at General Dynamics would confirm or deny this, when I spoke to them, but Avenger Boats, Inc. of Kennebunkport, Maine - and its parent company, American Boat Builders, Inc. together employ only two persons, and they have no facility for building boats.

SuperYachts Technologies Group, with facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and in Australia, does have a “vested interest in the general operation, construction, and design of the Avenger military Patrol Boats,” according to Tony Hashfield, of SuperYachts Technologies Group, and confirmed on their web site for the Avenger Global Series of military patrol boats.

Hashfield would neither confirm nor deny that Frank Kristan of Avenger Boats, Inc. in Kennebunkport, Maine is affiliated with SuperYachts Technologies Group.

SuperYachts Technologies does produce the Avenger series of boats, according to its sister site.

After the loan agreement was approved by the town council two weeks ago, I set about trying to learn something about Frank Kristan.

On Internet searches, I kept running into a Frank Kristan, who was once CEO of CyberSentry, a multi-million dollar company that went bankrupt amidst allegations of corruption and security fraud.

I found a Frank Kristan who was named as a defendant in a Securities Violation suit in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, in connection with his involvement with CyberSecurity.

But I wasn’t absolutely certain that the Frank Kristan who had been involved with the CyberSentry scandal was the same as the one who was asking the Millinocket town council for $50,000.

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