A Maine family physician accused of operating a massage business as a front for prostitution has entered a plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of the original sex trafficking charge.
Dr. Peter O'Donnell, 69, a family physician from Yarmouth, Maine, entered an Alford plea to one misdemeanor charge of engaging a prostitute on June 30, 2026, in Cumberland County Superior Court. Under a deferred disposition agreement, the remaining charge will be dismissed after 12 months if O'Donnell complies with court-ordered conditions, including avoiding further criminal conduct, completing a state educational program, and paying monthly supervision fees. The plea agreement resulted in prosecutors dismissing the felony sex trafficking charge in exchange for O'Donnell's Alford plea to the misdemeanor offense.
Dr. O'Donnell was arrested in November 2024 following a joint investigation by the Freeport and Brunswick police departments. Investigators alleged that his massage business, A. Envy, in Freeport operated as a front for prostitution. Investigators also alleged that O'Donnell recruited and employed individuals to provide sexual services to paying customers through the business. The plea agreement was reached after jury selection and shortly before the trial was set to proceed.
According to WGME, investigators alleged that Dr. Peter O'Donnell owned and operated A. Envy, a massage business on Route 1 in Freeport, where employees performed sexual services for paying customers. During the investigation, police also executed a search warrant at his family medical practice on Forest Falls Drive in Yarmouth.
It was also reported that investigators identified two individuals believed to be victims of human trafficking during the investigation. Prosecutors originally charged O'Donnell with sex trafficking, but that charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement reached before trial.
Dr. Peter O'Donnell's trial on the original charges was scheduled to begin on June 29, 2026. According to the Portland Press Herald, a jury had already been selected for what was expected to be a four-day trial before the plea agreement was reached.
Instead of proceeding to trial, O'Donnell entered an Alford plea, which allows a defendant to plead guilty for legal purposes without admitting the underlying conduct while acknowledging that prosecutors likely have sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.
Under the deferred disposition agreement, O'Donnell must:
Avoid any further criminal conduct for 12 months.
Complete Maine's Stopping Sexual Exploitation in Maine educational program.
Pay $50 per month in supervision fees.
If he successfully satisfies these conditions, the misdemeanor charge of engaging a prostitute will be dismissed after one year. The agreement also spared both sides the uncertainty of proceeding with a jury trial.
Following the plea agreement, Dr. Peter O'Donnell's attorney, Walter McKee, said his client continued to deny the underlying allegations.
"Dr. O'Donnell has maintained his innocence from the start, and the Sex Trafficking charges that started this whole case have been fully dismissed. He entered into this agreement because it will involve the total dismissal of this last remaining charge as well."
McKee said the agreement would ultimately result in the dismissal of the remaining misdemeanor charge if O'Donnell fulfills the conditions imposed by the court.
According to the Portland Press Herald, O'Donnell's medical license remained active with the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine as of June 30, 2026, and no public disciplinary action related to the criminal case had been announced.
The case stemmed from a joint investigation conducted by the Freeport Police Department and the Brunswick Police Department. Investigators alleged that O'Donnell operated the Freeport massage business as a front for prostitution while separately maintaining his family medical practice in Yarmouth.
If O'Donnell complies with all conditions of the deferred disposition agreement during the 12-month period, the remaining misdemeanor charge will be dismissed, bringing the criminal proceedings to a close without a trial.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)