Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and Department of Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis announce that Brandon Scamman of Conway, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty and was sentenced yesterday in the 3rd Circuit – District Division – Conway Court to 1 count of unemployment compensation fraud, a class A misdemeanor. Between March 8, 2014 and March 23, 2014, Mr. Scamman filed for 3 weeks of unemployment compensation benefits while knowingly failing to report his employment in order to obtain or increase his benefits. As a result, he fraudulently received $240.00 in unemployment benefits.

Mr. Scamman was sentenced to 90 days in the House of Corrections, all suspended for 1 year, conditioned on good behavior, the use of his likeness in the Department of Employment Security Benefits Rights Interview which discusses the ramifications of committing unemployment fraud, and the payment of restitution in the amount of $240.00 plus a 20% penalty of $48.00. Mr. Scamman is also disqualified from the receipt of unemployment compensation benefits for 52 weeks.

The Department of Employment Security provides unemployment compensation benefits to eligible claimants who are unemployed through no fault of their own. The Department investigates and prosecutes both criminal and civil unemployment compensation fraud with the goal of protecting New Hampshire's unemployment fund.