A Year and a Day
Sanborn Pleads Guilty to Theft of Pandemic Funds
Also on today’s menu at the News Café:
Man Dead, Officer Injured in Peterborough Altercation
Trump Doesn’t Want To Deal With Iran Anymore
Former NH State Senator Andy Sanborn, 64, who owned the now-closed Concord Casino, is facing a year and a day in prison plus payment of $255,231.72 in restitution after pleading guilty to diverting pandemic relief funds, intended to keep his business afloat, for personal use. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Sanborn also must surrender his passport and any other documents that would allow international travel.
Appearing before Judge Landya McCafferty at the US District Court in Concord on July 7, Sanborn admitted that he diverted more than $255,000 in federal COVID-19 relief money, including wiring $48,750 to an individual in Florida for the purchase of a 2006 Porsche Cayman. A state investigation that led to the federal charges found that Sanborn had purchased two additional luxury vehicles, including one for his wife, former State Representative Laurie Sanborn. In addition to the pandemic relief funds, Sanborn obtained an $844,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the Small Business Administration on behalf of Win Win Win, the company that owned and operated the Concord Casino.
Under the plea agreement, federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue criminal charges against either Laurie Sanborn or the Concord Casino.
Discussion: Sanborn has been disputing similar fraud allegations at the state level, with the NH Justice Department alleging that Sanborn and Win Win Win used pandemic relief funds obtained through New Hampshire’s Main Street Relief Fund program to pay off the mortgage on Laurie Sanborn’s private lakefront property in Laconia.
Man Dead, Officer Injured in Peterborough Altercation
Jack Hutchings, 24, died of gunshot wounds outside of his Peterborough residence and an off-duty police officer whose name has been withheld sustained serious stab wounds during an altercation on July 5. The officer was recovering in a hospital at the time of the NHPR news article.
The NH Attorney-General’s Office said, “The investigation is active and ongoing and includes whether the person who appeared to have shot Mr. Hutchings acted in self-defense. Additional information will be released as it becomes available while protecting the integrity of the investigation.”
An autopsy was scheduled for July 7, but the AG’s office has not released the results.
Discussion: The incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Grove Street, in close proximity to the Peterborough Police Department.
Trump Doesn’t Want To Deal With Iran Anymore
As President Donald Trump complained about NATO’s refusal to support his attacks on Iran during the summit in Ankara, Türkiye, he also complained about the deteriorating peace agreement with Iran, saying, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum.”
Speaking today about the apparent end of the current ceasefire agreement with Iran following an exchange of attacks between the two countries, Trump called the Iranian leaders “vicious, violent people” who would use a nuclear weapon if they had one.
While the top US negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, want to continue negotiations, Trump said, “[A]s far as I'm concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them. They’re liars.”
Discussion: Trump also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss bypassing a congressional ban on the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, ostensibly to replace that country’s reliance on Russian-made air defenses. Robert Hubbell of Today’s Edition Newsletter, observes, “Turkey, of course, would return the Russian air defenses to Turkey as soon as it has the F-35s in hand.”