The lies Mark Brave told: How we got here

Yahoo

17-05-2025

Mark Brave's lies began to be uncovered after he was questioned about purchasing two premium JetBlue tickets for a trip to Fort Lauderdale in 2022.
The second-term Strafford County high sheriff was confronted about the trip eight months later after a third-party audit found discrepancies in his spending.
Brave told County Administrator Raymond Bower he needed the airline's 'EvenMore' package because of his 6-foot-2 frame. He also said he went with a deputy who is also a 'well- built, muscular' man, Bower said. The total cost came to about $1,615.
'The documentation he submitted was only for him,' Bower said. The red flag prompted the accounting department to call JetBlue. Turns out, the other passenger was a woman who worked for the department.
'I turned it over to the county attorney, who then turned it over to the attorney general,' Bower said. 'First of all, he lied to me. Second of all, from what he said he did in Florida that was not the appropriate person to bring with him.'
These lies and dozens of others are outlined in an affidavit used in a warrant for Brave's arrest in 2023. He pleaded guilty to charges of theft by deception, falsifying physical evidence and two counts of perjury in February.
For the theft and falsifying charges, Brave must repay $18,969 to Strafford County, with no time in prison. However, the prosecution is asking for 7 to 14 years in prison for perjury.
Brave, 39, is asking for suspended sentences with no prison time.
Judge Daniel St. Hilaire, who previously served as an executive councilor and Merrimack County Attorney, is scheduled to consider those arguments Monday morning.
A complete accounting of Brave's lies to the grand jury would be 'monumental,' according to the Attorney General's Office.
Over the past few years, news surrounding the disgraced Strafford County sheriff has had so many twists and turns. One might wonder: How did we get here?
The lies pile up
The false reimbursement requests took place between May 27, 2022, and May 22, 2023, according to court documents. It appears Brave's deceptive spending continued even after Bower's intervention.
The county reported its findings to the Attorney General's Office on April 19, 2023, while Brave's spending patterns continued at least another month, according to the affidavit.
Beyond the airline tickets, Bower questioned Brave about the Fort Lauderdale hotel bill that only included a single, king-sized bed.
'There was a slight pause, and he said, 'Oh, aw, the other person slept on the couch,' Bower recalled.
Bower, who previously worked as a police officer, knew something was up.
'You look for 'tells,'' Bower said. 'Signs in people's faces and stuff. It did not appear it was an accurate representation, which is why I asked our finance department to call JetBlue to find out who held the other ticket.'
Others in the sheriff's office became suspicious when two county-issued credit cards were maxed out by Brave with bookings.
Just before Brave appeared before the grand jury, the female employee told the grand jury she stayed with Brave in the same hotel room, but denied any sexual or romantic interactions with Brave. She testified that no work for the department was done on the trip and that she went shopping and spent time by the pool.
Brave stuck to his previous story and testified he was alone in the room, according to the affidavit.
His last trip, to West Palm Beach, Florida, took place between May 19 and May 22, 2023, for $1,263, according to the affidavit. He justified the trip by saying he visited with a West Palm Beach police lieutenant. He admitted to the grand jury he had no appointments scheduled before landing in Florida.
'Rather, he testified that he went there without any appointments, walked up to a police officer on a pier, and had a conversation,' an affidavit said.
Other expenditures on the county's tab include a one-night stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Massachusetts for $1,482 with one woman and her children and multiple trips to Maryland to spend time with another.
On one trip to Maryland, he put in for fuel reimbursement for his cruiser.
'In grand jury testimony, Brave had no explanation for why he would need gas for an 'assigned cruiser' when he took a plane to BWI for this trip and not a department cruiser,' the affidavit reads.
The woman Brave saw in Maryland later had to file a police report after she gave Brave $2,300 to help buy a car, which never materialized.
Multiple times Brave justified his spending for meals in the Boston area for meetings with the 'New England Sheriffs Association,' which law enforcement agencies confirmed does not exist.
Mark Brave
Former Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave, right, speaks to a court officer in Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood in September.
The blame game
Throughout the legal process, Brave, who is Black, claimed political and racial biases against him.
According to a request for leniency in sentencing, Brave took a lot of pride in his 'meteoric rise' to the high sheriff's position in Strafford County.
'At the time of Mr. Brave's election, he was both the youngest sheriff in New Hampshire history as well as the only African American to have ever held a high sheriff position across any county in New Hampshire,' his lawyer, Leif Becker, wrote in his sentencing memorandum.
Before agreeing to take a leave of absence during the investigation, Brave claimed the probe was prompted by racist views. After pleading guilty, Brave released a statement his time as sheriff was 'rife with inequities.'
One target was Commission Chairman George Maglaras, who Brave said was out to get him. Maglaras denied it.
'He just did that to deflect what he was up to,' Maglaras said in a phone interview. 'It was all matter of deflection.'
Maglaras supported Brave as a Democratic candidate for sheriff. His support shifted as the evidence poured in.
'He was always deflecting,' Maglaras said. 'He is charming and likable, but he was just a con man. That's it.'
He added, 'We just couldn't keep track of all the lies.'
AG charges Strafford County sheriff with 8 felonies
Attorney General John Formella, center, announces Strafford County Sheriff Mark Brave faces eight charges. Brave is accused of stealing $19,000 in county taxpayer money to spend on personal expenses including a rendezvous with a female lover. From left with Formella were Todd Flanagan, the office's deputy chief investigator, Senior Assistant AG Dan Jimenez, chief of the public integrity unit and Assistant AG Joe Fincham II who also works on public integrity cases.
The sentencing
Prosecutors are prepared to use transcripts of grand jury testimony during Monday's sentencing hearing, according to court documents.
'The sentence in this case must aid to repair the damage done by the defendant's crime to the public perception of the integrity of the criminal justice system and government institutions generally,' the prosecution's memo reads.
As part of the plea deal, another case against Brave in Rockingham County will be dismissed. In that case, he allegedly lied to a judge about remaining in Strafford County, while an investigation revealed he rented a place in Tewksbury, Mass.
Judge Dan St. Hilaire speaks
Judge Daniel St. Hilaire, seen here at Mark Brave's plea hearing in February, will preside at Brave's sentencing hearing on Monday.
'I think the attorney general has done an amazingly thorough investigation and uncovered other things that we were aware of, but just showed a continuation of lies,' Bower said.
Bower is prepared to read a victim impact statement at the sentencing on behalf of Strafford County. He acknowledged the work of others who took over the reins from Brave amid the controversy.
'They were working day and night because they were not only managing the operations of the sheriff's department, but they were also working to restore people's confidence in the sheriff's office,' he said.
Brave's confidence seemed to dwindle with each court hearing.
'I think he was in denial,' Maglaras said. 'I considered him my friend. I just didn't know all these things he was up to.'
Strafford County has a new sheriff in town — Kathryn Mone — and is striving to move on from Brave. It will take time to reverse the damage to the county's reputation, Maglaras said.
'It is time for the county to move on from Mark Brave,' he said.
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