BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey’s Office has filed a legal complaint against former Western Massachusetts Deputy Director LaMar Cook in an effort to reclaim the over $31,000 mistakenly paid to him in a contract buyout after he was fired following his October arrest on drug and gun charges.

In a complaint filed Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court, the Commonwealth admits to the mistake made by the governor’s office in paying Cook to begin with, arguing that he is not entitled to the money due to being terminated for cause.

“On November 21, 2025, after Mr. Cook was terminated for cause, the Commonwealth’s Human Resources Division erroneously paid him $31,438.56 in total gross pay, $22,374.29 net pay, for 530 total hours of vacation leave time that he accrued from his former employment with the University of Massachusetts and his employment with the Office of the Governor. Mr. Cook received $22,374.29 net pay from the Commonwealth, in the form of direct deposits into his two bank accounts,” the complaint reads.

The complaint goes on to state that immediately after the erroneous payment was recognized, the governor’s office attempted to reverse the direct deposits, but could not do so due to Cook having insufficient funds in his accounts.

“Upon realizing the error in paying Mr. Cook for accrued vacation leave time, the Commonwealth attempted to reverse the direct deposits, but it could not do so due to insufficient funds available in the accounts,” the Commonwealth wrote in its complaint. “The Commonwealth has demanded that Mr. Cook pay back the money that he received in error, but despite demand, he has failed and refused to pay back the money.”

This comes just a day after the Herald first reported that Cook had nearly $10,000 in credit card debt right before his October arrest. He had been taken to court three times between 2014 and 2025, twice by Capital One and once by Portfolio Recovery Associates, with judgments over $9,500, according to court documents.

This update is the latest in a story with a laundry list of mistakes and oversights made by the administration since hiring Cook. Last month, a Herald public records request revealed that the Administration likely knew about Cook’s violent criminal history, which includes his arrest in 2001 in connection to a shooting in Springfield, where he and another man allegedly got out of a car and fired a gun at people on a nearby porch. He was charged, along with two others, with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a handgun within 500 feet of a dwelling and unlicensed possession of a firearm. Immediately following his arrest, several calls were made for the administration to release all records related to Cook and the hiring process that led to his employment.

Cook was arrested in late October after State Police intercepted 21 kilograms of cocaine being shipped to the Springfield State Office where he worked. Troopers also seized an unregistered gun and ammunition from Cook, who is charged with trafficking 200 grams or more of cocaine, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The governor says Cook was fired immediately after his arrest, calling it “a major breach of public trust” and “unacceptable.”

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