Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella announces that on March 19, 2024, the Rockingham County Superior Court entered a consent decree resolving the allegations that Loren Faulkner had violated the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, RSA Chapter 354-B.

“This consent decree provides another example of the Attorney General’s Office’s commitment to ensuring that in the ‘Live Free or Die’ State, everyone has the opportunity to live and worship freely, without fear of hate-motivated conduct,” said Attorney General Formella. “I thank our Civil Rights Unit, Senior Assistant Attorney General Sean Locke, and the Portsmouth Police Department for their hard work investigating this case.”

As a result of the consent decree, the parties acknowledged that across two occasions in April 2022 and one occasion on February 21, 2023, Mr. Faulkner committed twenty-one separate violations of the Civil Rights Act by damaging the property of another. Those acts of vandalism included destruction of rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flags and other symbols of support for or solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, spray painting swastikas and crosses on Temple Israel in Portsmouth, NH, spray painting Stars of David on St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, NH, defacing a Black Heritage Trail sign located at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, NH, and damaging or destroying signs and murals that expressed support for diversity and Black Lives Matter. The court found that Mr. Faulkner’s actions were motivated by hostility towards people because of their race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The court also found that Mr. Faulkner, through his actions, attempted to interfere or did interfere with the lawful activities of others including their ability to worship freely and engage in free speech or free expression.

The Attorney General’s Office and Mr. Faulkner negotiated and agreed to the consent decree. As part of the consent decree’s terms, the court ordered that Mr. Faulkner: (1) pay a civil penalty of $50,000 with all but $2,500 suspended for a period of three years conditioned upon his compliance with the terms of the consent decree; (2) undergo a behavior assessment; (3) participate in behavior or mental health counseling and comply with all recommendations; (4) enroll and participate in either an educational or vocational program or seek and maintain employment; and (5) complete 200 hours of community service work. The court ordered that Mr. Faulkner is restrained, for a period of three years, from: (1) committing further Civil Rights Act violations; (2) coming within 250 feet of the locations that he had targeted or the owners, staff, congregants, and/or residents of those locations; and (3) contacting the locations he had previously targeted or the owners, staff, congregants, and/or residents of those locations. If Mr. Faulkner knowingly violates any of those conditions, he can face imposition of the suspended civil penalty and/or criminal charges.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Sean Locke, Director of the New Hampshire Department of Justice Civil Rights Unit. The Civil Rights Unit enforces state civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Act and the New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination. Anyone who believes their civil rights have been violated may file a complaint at https://www.doj.nh.gov/civil-rights/index.htm or by calling 603-271-3650.