The hearing between Andy Sanborn, the owner of the Concord Casino and former New Hampshire Senator, and the Lottery Commission was delayed for the second time recently. The latest delay comes after Sanborn’s defense claimed that he was too ill to effectively defend against the accusations that he spent COVID-19 relief funds for personal expenses.
As announced by The Concord Monitor, Sanborn’s lawyer, Zachary Hafer, recently confirmed that his client was very sick. “We’re also dealing with lots of medical appointments and side effects from medical appointments. I’d rather not get into the specific details, but he’s very sick, very, very sick,” he explained.
Additionally, Hafer pointed out that he was new to his client’s case and needed more time to familiarize himself with the details. He cited extensive information and documents that are tied to the investigation against his client, asking for a postponement of two months.
“We are asking for two months, which is about a quarter of the time that the investigation took. We think that’s really reasonable here. We think that it would afford a process in which we can defend these charges.“
Zachary Hafer, an attorney representing Andy Sanborn
The latest delay marks the second time the hearing between Sanborn and the Commission has been pushed back. The investigation against the former Senator comes ahead of his gaming operator license expiration set for December 31, 2023. According to the investigation against him, he was unsuitable to hold a license in New Hampshire. Even if Sanborn is found unsuitable to hold a license in the state after the hearing with the Commission, he may appeal that decision with the Supreme Court.
Using COVID Relief Funds for Personal Expenses
An eight-month-long investigation against the former Senator uncovered that he allegedly obtained $844,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds fraudulently. Accusations against him claim that the money was used for a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing expensive sports cars for himself and Laurie Sanborn, his wife. He allegedly concealed personal expenses as business transactions, transferring some $183,500 into his personal accounts.
The established regulations do not allow casinos to benefit from COVID relief funds. Yet, the investigation claims that Sanborn concealed the identity of his company and instead of Concord Casino, filed the application with the name Win Win Win LLC. According to the investigation, the activity of his business was described as miscellaneous.