Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald announces that James Knee, formerly of Concord, was arrested and arraigned this morning on a charge of theft by misapplication. At the time of the theft, Mr. Knee was employed as a financial advisor to the victim. The complaint alleges that Mr. Knee obtained funds from the victim and was legally obligated to invest those funds for the benefit of the victim, but that Mr. Knee failed to make those investments and, instead, dealt with the property obtained or withheld as his own. Because the total amount of the theft exceeded $1,500, the charge is a Class A felony.

Mr. Knee was arrested on Wednesday evening by U.S. Customs authorities at Logan Airport in Boston after he tried to enter the country from Mexico. Mr. Knee previously lived in the Ukraine. Mr. Knee waived rendition in Massachusetts and was transferred yesterday back to New Hampshire. Mr. Knee was arraigned this afternoon in the Concord Circuit Court. He was ordered held by the Court on $50,000 cash or corporate surety. In addition, as a condition of bail, Mr. Knee was ordered to surrender his passport, sign a further waiver of extradition, was ordered not to leave the state, and to have no contact with the victim or any of the witnesses in the case.

The Court scheduled a probable cause hearing for March 16, 2018 at 8:15 a.m. at the Concord Circuit Court.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.