Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella and Department of Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis announce that Sean Hendricks, of Nashua, New Hampshire, plead guilty and was sentenced on July 13, 2022, in Hillsborough County Superior Court – South, on one count of unemployment compensation fraud, a class A felony.

Between January 6, 2020 and January 2, 2021, Mr. Hendricks knowingly failed to disclose his employment and earnings to the Department of Employment Security in order to obtain or increase his unemployment compensation benefits, in that on 46 occasions he submitted a weekly continued claim form and answered "No" to the question: "Last week, did you work or perform services? This includes starting a new job, working part-time employment, or working for yourself, regardless of whether you have received payment." As a result, Mr. Hendricks fraudulently received $28,804.00 in unemployment benefits, including enhanced federal unemployment benefits due to the pandemic.

Mr. Hendricks was sentenced to 12 months in the House of Corrections, with 6 months of the sentence deferred for a period of 15 months and then suspended for an additional period of 4 years, conditioned on good behavior; the payment of restitution and penalties totaling $34,564.80; and, disqualification from receiving 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 compensation trust fund. To report possible unemployment fraud, call 1-800-852-3400, ext. 84016, or use the online form at https://business.nh.gov/NCharge/NHES/default.asp?form_name=InsuranceFraud.