Concord, NH – Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald announces that Jerry Newton, age 54, of Hillsborough, was sentenced on October 4, 2018, in the Hillsborough County Superior Court, Northern District, on three class A felony counts of financial exploitation of an elderly adult. Mr. Newton was convicted of these offenses following a jury trial in July.

The Court sentenced Mr. Newton to serve 7½ -15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, stand committed, for taking $227,460.94 from an individual retirement account intended to benefit his elderly mother. The Court imposed a concurrent sentence of 7 ½ -15 years, stand committed, for taking $19,172.36 from a family trust.

Mr. Newton was also sentenced to 7½ -15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison for taking $81,300.68 from his mother's personal checking account. That sentence is suspended for ten years following his release from the first two sentences, on conditions of good behavior, that he not serve in a fiduciary capacity, and that he pay restitution.

The defendant was also ordered to pay $327,933.98 in restitution.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Sean P. Gill and Bryan J. Townsend of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). That Unit received a referral from the New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services in July 2016, which alleged that Mr. Newton financially exploited his elderly mother by unlawfully taking money from her and using it for his own benefit. An investigation by the MFCU revealed that, while serving as agent under his mother's power of attorney and trustee under a family trust, he took more than $300,000 for his own benefit.

"The Attorney General's duty to protect the public applies with particular force to the most vulnerable among us – including the elderly," said Attorney General MacDonald. "It is a reality that the elderly often must place their trust in people close to them to help manage their affairs. When that trust is violated and crimes are committed, the offenders will be held accountable. The prosecutors and victim advocates in this Office are dedicated to seeking justice for the victims of these very serious crimes."

The MFCU investigates and prosecutes matters involving abuse, including financial exploitation, of elderly individuals in residential care facilities throughout the State of New Hampshire. If you or someone you know has been the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact MFCU (603-271-1246), your local police department, or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (1-800-949-0470).