Ex-Sheriff Mark Brave faces 5 new charges, allegedly lied under oath
Ex-Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave is facing new felony perjury charges and misdemeanor counts of false swearing and unsworn falsification. Criminal counts against Brave continue to stack up more than a year after he was first arrested for allegedly using county money to fund trips related to his extramarital affairs.
Brave, formerly of Dover and now a Tewksbury, Massachusetts, resident, has been indicted on the new charges by a Rockingham County grand jury.
Brave is accused of making false statements on his form requesting a lawyer before the Rockingham County Superior Court and falsely told the court under oath he was residing in a First Street apartment in Dover, according to charging documents. All charges allege he committed the crimes on Oct. 26, 2023, in Brentwood.
These allegations surfaced last year when Brave, who was on leave as sheriff at the time, was accused by prosecutors of living out of state in Tewksbury. He was collecting his pay from the sheriff’s job, a role that requires New Hampshire residency. He later resigned as sheriff, which made living out of state no longer an issue.
Brave has now been charged with two counts of perjury, both Class B felonies, in addition to two counts of false swearing and a charge of unsworn falsification, all Class A misdemeanors. The charges were announced by New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella on Wednesday afternoon (October 9).
Last year, a judge ordered Brave to hire his own attorney after he had requested one be provided by the state. He was accused of stating he couldn’t afford an attorney after buying a Porsche.
Pressure is being ramped up on Brave, who has not reached a plea agreement in multiple attempts to negotiate with state prosecutors.
Brave is scheduled to be arraigned at Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood on the new charges on Nov. 27, per court records.
The five new charges were handed up by the grand jury on Oct. 4. The two felony charges each carry up to 3.5 to 7 years in New Hampshire State Prison for Men and a maximum fine of $4,000, while the misdemeanors are all punishable by up to a year in jail, and each carry a fine of up to $2,000.
Brave’s attorney, Leif Becker, chose not to comment specifically on the new charges against Brave, but he reacted to the grand jury’s decision.
“We’re not surprised by the additional indictments, it’s something that has been telegraphed by the (attorney general’s) office for some time in this process,” Becker said Wednesday afternoon. “We are still hopeful that we might be able to come to a resolution of this matter, but we have a trial scheduled for next year.”
The new charges against Brave were investigated by the New Hampshire Department of Justice. The new case will be prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Joe M. Fincham II and Assistant Attorney General David M. Lovejoy of the Public Integrity Unit. — Ian Lenahan, Foster’s Daily Democrat
Northfield nurse pleads guilty, diverted fentanyl from ICU patient
A Northfield woman pleaded guilty in federal court for diverting fentanyl from an intensive care unit patient at Concord Hospital, according to U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Jane E. Young on Monday.
Lisa Richardson, 48, pleaded guilty to tampering with consumer products. Richardson was scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 16, 2025 by U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice press statement.
Richardson was accused of removing a quantity of fentanyl from an intravenous line bag inserted in an ICU patient on Dec. 30, 2022, while working as a nurse at Concord Hospital. She then replaced the fentanyl with saline. Richardson was not assigned to that patient’s care as part of her duties as a nurse, according to the DOJ.
She could be sentenced to up to 10 years incarceration, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Her sentence will be imposed by a federal district court judge based on U.S. sentencing guidelines and statutes which determine the sentence in a criminal case.
The investigation into the crime was led jointly by the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Ward is prosecuting the case.
New Hampshire law enforcement has used resources to enforce federal laws connected to the diversion of dangerous narcotics by medical professionals, according to the DOJ. In July 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office settled a $300,000 civil action with Catholic Medical Center to resolve allegations they violated the Controlled Substances Act by failing to keep accurate records of controlled substances, which enabled a nurse anesthetist to steal hundreds of doses of fentanyl over the course of a year.
In June 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office settled a $2 million civil action with Cheshire Medical Center for their failure to fulfill obligations under the CSA which enabled a nurse to steal 23 intravenous bags of fentanyl solution from an automatic medication dispensing machine. In June 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office settled a $300,000 civil action with PillPack by Amazon, a pharmacy, to resolve allegations they violated the CSA, which risked the division of drugs that are often abused in communities, according to the DOJ. — Laconia Daily Sun
Probable cause hearing in Bartlett Beach threatening case delayed for lack of lawyer
One person charged with threatening multiple people with a knife at Bartlett Beach had a probable cause hearing delayed until next week because no lawyer has been assigned to the case.
Shiloh Hillman was scheduled to appear in Laconia District Court on Wednesday afternoon for the hearing. The court had approved his request to be provided legal counsel, but none has yet been secured.
Judge Christopher Keating told Hillman the state wasn’t able to match him with a defender, due in part to a serious shortage of public defenders and contract lawyers who provide defense to people in need, and also because the courts are dealing with a large number of ongoing cases.
According to state law, Hillman is entitled to a probable cause hearing within 30 days of his arraignment, and Keating acknowledged he’s likely at something of a disadvantage by not having counsel appointment promptly. Hillman was arraigned Sept. 10 in District Court.
“You’re enduring some prejudice without counsel,” Keating said.
But Hillman is not detained while awaiting the hearing, and Keating noted, if he’s appointed counsel within the next few days, his lawyer would have ample opportunity to review the facts of the case and prepare a defense before the probable cause hearing.
Even if the state misses the 30-day window to conduct a probable cause hearing, the court does not lose jurisdiction over the case and criminal charges are not simply dropped.
The purpose of the probable cause hearing is for the judge to determine whether the state has sufficient evidence against Hillman in order for the case to be elevated to Belknap County Superior Court. Even if the judge finds the state does not have sufficient evidence to move the case, Hillman could be indicted by a Belknap County Grand Jury at a later date.
Hillman, 43, of Laconia, was taken into custody and charged after police received a call reporting an incident at Bartlett Beach on Winnisquam Avenue late in the night of Sept. 9. Callers reported a male suspect threatening others with a large knife just after 11 p.m.
On the night of the incident, officers arrived at the scene and located Hillman, and during the course of an overnight investigation developed probable cause to charge him with five counts of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted second-degree assault.
Hillman was arrested at the scene and transported to the Belknap County Jail after initially refusing bail but has since been released.
Hillman was scheduled to appear in Laconia District Court again at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. — Gabriel Perry, Laconia Daily Sun
