Concord, NH – Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald announces that Thomas U. Gage, ¬58 of Newfields, New Hampshire was sentenced on Thursday, November 15, 2018, in the Rockingham Superior Court on two class-A felony counts of Financial Exploitation of an Elder Adult.

After pleading guilty on September 9, 2018, today the Court sentenced Gage to 2-4 years at the New Hampshire State Prison, stand committed, on one charge. On the second charge, the Court sentenced Gage to a fully suspended sentence of 3-6 years at the New Hampshire State Prison, to serve consecutive to the first charge. The sentence was suspended for five years from the date of Gage's release from state prison, and was conditioned upon his good behavior and restitution to the victim.

An investigation conducted by the Attorney General's Office, in conjunction with the Exeter Police Department revealed that between January 2015 and January 2016, Gage used undue influence to convince the victim to open several credit cards and allow him to use them to fund a real estate renovation project. The investigation showed that Gage did not own the real estate he was supposedly renovating and instead used the credit cards to satisfy numerous personal debts and expenses without the victim's knowledge or consent. The total amount of credit card debt incurred using the victim's cards was over $81,000.

Assistant Attorney General Brandon H. Garod of the Elder Abuse and Exploitation Unit prosecuted this case.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact your local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (1-800-949-0470).