Concord Casino owner and former New Hampshire state Senator Andy Sanborn was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft by deception related to nearly $190,000 in pandemic aid received in 2020, the Attorney General’s Office announced on October 16.
This charge is separate from an ongoing fraud investigation that began 13 months ago, focusing on Sanborn’s alleged misuse of approximately $844,000 from a different pandemic loan program. Attorney General John Formella stated that Sanborn is accused of misrepresenting his casino’s gross receipts by nearly $1 million to inflate his grant from the “Main Street Relief Fund” by almost $188,474. This charge carries a potential prison sentence of 7.5 to 15 years.
Sanborn’s legal troubles have escalated since the state shut down his casino in December as part of the earlier loan investigation. A judge found sufficient evidence that Sanborn and his wife, Rep. Laurie Sanborn, misrepresented their charitable gaming operations when applying for the loan and subsequently mismanaged the funds. Allegedly, fraudulent purchases included three race cars, two Porsches, and a Ferrari, totaling $181,250.
Although the state sought to revoke Sanborn’s charitable gaming license in December, the judge opted not to do so but ordered him to sell the casino by September. Sanborn’s attorneys are currently trying to extend this deadline, claiming they have a buyer ready to proceed once the Attorney General’s Office completes a background check.
In a further twist, Sanborn’s legal team has filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General’s Office in Merrimack County Superior Court. They allege that during a search warrant execution, the office seized confidential records and allowed the investigative team to review them, breaching attorney-client privilege.
Sanborn, who resides in Bedford, was unavailable for immediate comment. His attorneys, Zachary Hafer and Adam Katz, responded to inquiries via email, alleging that the arrest is a strategic move by the Attorney General’s Office to hinder Sanborn’s efforts to sell his casino. New Hampshire lottery regulations prohibit anyone convicted of a felony from holding a gaming license for ten years, raising concerns about the implications for a potential buyer.
The attorneys criticized the Attorney General’s actions, stating, “In an eleventh-hour attempt to sabotage a sale of Win Win Win, the same AG who has been enjoined repeatedly for violations of Mr. Sanborn’s constitutional rights… has now arrested Mr. Sanborn on the eve of a sale to a qualified buyer.”
The reference to “prosecutorial misconduct” pertains to allegations that the Attorney General’s Office mishandled confidential records seized in May. Hafer and Katz are requesting the judge to disqualify the investigative team or suppress the evidence gathered.
This story is still developing, originally reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin, an independent local newsroom that allows NH Business Review and other outlets to republish its coverage.