Sheriff Brave accused of theft of public funds, lying to grand jury

Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave has been arrested and charged with eight felonies as part of an ongoing investigation into Sheriff Brave's misuse of Strafford County credit cards.
"The decision to charge an elected constitutional officer was not made lightly," said Attorney General New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement released on Thursday. "However, no person is above the law, and the evidence in this case required action. It is my hope that the public will be reassured that there will be equal justice under the law for every person in this State - including public officials."
Brave is charged with
one count of theft by deception (a class A felony) for stealing approximately $19,000 in Strafford County funds by submitting personal expenses for reimbursement with fraudulent justifications;
two counts of falsifying physical evidence (both class B felonies) - one for submitting false reimbursement justifications, and one for altering a receipt submitted for reimbursement;
five counts of Perjury (all class B felonies) for lying in his testimony before the Strafford County Grand Jury during the course of the investigation.
The affidavit filed in this case alleges that Sheriff Brave spent approximately $19,000.00 on personal expenses - including airfare, hotel stays, and dinners for personal trips to Boston, Florida, and other locations.
Brave is alleged to have deceived Strafford County officials and attempted to hide the personal nature of these purchases by falsifying one receipt to remove the identity of a female companion, and by submitting numerous false justifications for reimbursement - false justifications such as attending conferences and meetings that he did not attend, that did not exist, or for organizations that did not exist.
Brave is also alleged to have lied during his testimony before the Strafford County Grand Jury on a variety of matters.
The first Perjury charge involves a female employee who traveled with Brave to Florida. The woman had previously told investigators that she did not stay in the same hotel room as Brave, but had stayed with family instead. She later admitted to the grand jury that she did stay in the same hotel room as Brave, but Brave is alleged to have repeated her earlier version of events, denying that she stayed in the same hotel room and claiming that she stayed with family.
The second perjury charge concerns allegations that Brave stated that he attended events for a fictitious law enforcement organization.
The third Perjury charge relates to a trip Brave took to Maryland during which Brave told the grand jury he was scheduled to meet with U.S. Representative Chris Pappas, but that the Congressman had to cancel the meeting and gave Brave a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol as an apology. Records from the Congressman's office indicate that no such meeting was ever scheduled, and no such gift of a flag as an apology ever took place. Rather, based on investigation, Brave is alleged to have actually met a paramour who lived in the area, according to a statement from the state AG's office.
The fourth and fifth Perjury charges concern a dinner cruise and hotel stay for Brave in Boston. He told the grand jury that he purchased the tickets in advance for him and a male deputy to attend a charity fundraiser. However, based on investigation, Sheriff Brave is alleged to have bought the tickets on the same day as the cruise for himself and another paramour to attend the event together - which was on the paramour's birthday. Brave is further alleged to have alternatively claimed in his testimony that he did not remember the trip, that no one stayed with him at his hotel, and that he did not recall if his paramour spent the night with him - before later admitting that the paramour spent the night with him at the hotel for romantic and sexual purposes.

Brave has denied the allegations all along.

He told The Rochester Voice in June that the county commissioners began targetting him after his wife was arrested for driving under the influence as they returned from a Christmas party on Dec. 10 during a State Police saturation patrol in the Greater Portmsouth area.

"We were both at the party, she said she could drive and I thought she could," Brave said. "It's happened to a lot of people out there."

He said soon after the incident the County Commissioners, including Chairman George Maglaras, have been trying to "mess with me," he said.

"They tried to say I used my office to get my wife off," he said. "I was in the car in the passenger seat. I never said a word, but Maglaras said I told him I was home when she was arrested. I wasn't. I was right there in the car."

His wife lost her license and just recently got it back.

Meanwhile, County Attorney Tom Velardi sent an email on Thursday stating that during the AG's Office of Public Integrity investigation, the county commissioners "continue to monitor the activities of the Sheriff's Office to ensure that office is operating."

Because Brave is an elected independent constitutional officer with no direct oversight by the commissioners, he cannot be forced to take a leave of absence.

But, just the same, Brave contends that the commissioners have been doing nothing but meddle in the running of the sheriff's department, especially in recent months.

The probe is being led by Senior Assistant Attorney General Dan Jimenez.
The allegations against Brave include theft, falsification in official matters and abuse of office.

Brave told The Voice in June he was being railroaded and the commissioners, especially Maglaras just want him gone.

Brave, who said the county used taxpayer money to have him investigated by MRI, noted that he's already spent $50,000 of his own money to defend himself against the claims made against him and to keep him off the "Laurie List," which lists law enforcement officers with integrity issues.

After his arrest, Brave was released on a personal-recognizance bond pending his arraignment in superior court at an unspecified date. Brave is facing up to 31½-to-64 years in prison and fines of up to $32,000.00 if convicted on all counts.
This case is being investigated by New Hampshire Department of Justice investigators, and is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Joe Fincham and Assistant Attorney General David Lovejoy of the New Hampshire Department of Justice's Public Integrity Unit.
The investigation that led to these charges remains active and ongoing. Anyone from the public who has information relevant to the investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Allison Vachon at: (603) 271-0102 / Allison.P.Vachon@doj.nh.gov.