Latest news with #NewHampshireDepartmentofJustice
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AG reminds NH residents of rights in 23andMe bankruptcy filing
The Attorney's General's Office says it has been keeping an eye on 23andMe as part of a multistate investigation into a data breach discovered in October 2023 that led to the exposure of nearly 7 million Americans. 23andMe, a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company that collects and analyzes individuals' genetic data, filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Attorney General John Formella said the company failed to safeguard the information of its customers and exposed them to significant harm. 'This negligence not only damaged the company's reputation but also violated the trust of those who entrusted their personal data to the company,' Formlla said in a news release. The office is reminding New Hampshire residents of their rights under the New Hampshire Data Privacy Act. New Hampshire consumers have the right to access, obtain, correct, and delete personal data collected about them. Additionally, consumers have the right to opt out of the processing of their personal data for the purposes of targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, and certain types of profiling, according to the news release. 'Despite the bankruptcy filing, both 23andMe and any potential buyers remain responsible for protecting consumer data," Formella said. 'Additionally, consumers can proactively protect their data by deleting their genetic data, requesting the destruction of their test sample, and revoking authorization for 23andMe to share their data with third-party researchers.' Consumers can delete their genetic data, request destruction of their test sample, and revoke permission for their data to be used for research through their 23andMe 'Account Settings' page. 23andMe's privacy notice can be found at this link: Consumers who need assistance may contact the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau at DOJ-CPB@ or 1-888-468-4454.
Boston Globe
19-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Ex-sheriff ‘begs' for mercy as N.H. court weighs whether to imprison him for perjury
Prosecutors have asked that Brave, 39, receive a total prison term of seven to 14 years for two counts of perjury. That would be in addition to his suspended sentence for theft by deception and falsifying physical evidence. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up Brave's defense attorney, however, has asked for a fully suspended sentence on all four charges, which would allow Brave to avoid prison time if he stays out of trouble. Advertisement 'It would be unjust for Mr. Brave to receive a disproportionately harsh sentence simply because of the high-profile nature of his case,' defense attorney Leif A. Becker wrote in a pre-sentencing memo. Brave has struggled to find steady work and has suffered from 'extreme anxiety' over his potential incarceration and uncertainty about providing for his teenage daughter, Becker wrote, with a request for leniency. 'Mr. Brave begs the Court to accept his proposed sentence in mercy, and to consider his mitigating factors: his lack of criminal history, his acceptance of responsibility for his crimes, the negotiated consequences to his ability to seek future employment and the significant consequences he has already begun to suffer as a result of his actions,' Becker wrote. Advertisement The prosecutors, Joe M. Fincham II and David M. Lovejoy from the New Hampshire Department of Justice, contend Brave was given multiple opportunities to accept responsibility but instead chose to keep lying. In their pre-sentencing memo, Finacham and Lovejoy wrote that Brave had an long-established habit of deceit and lies that continued even when he faced questioning before a grand jury. That demonstrated 'contempt for the truth' and disregard for his oath as Strafford County sheriff, as he lied about 'virtually every aspect of his repeated thefts' and sometimes added newer lies to explain away discrepancies between his older lies, all in an effort to 'avoid and pervert the system of justice that he was sworn to uphold,' they wrote. Brave had been indicted on 13 charges stemming from his conduct in 2022 and 2023, when he sought reimbursement for airfare, lodging, and meals for supposedly work-related trips to Florida, Maryland, and Boston, where prosecutors said he spent time with women other than his wife and then lied about it, altering receipts to cover his tracks. Brave used county-issued credit cards to spend about $19,000 on extravagances that included vacations, luxury cruises, expensive dinners, and more, according to prosecutors. When submitting receipts to the county, he cited fraudulent justifications, including meetings and events he didn't actually attend, some of which never even existed. Brave, a Democrat, claimed he traveled to the Washington, D.C., area for a planned meeting in 2023 with Representative Chris Pappas that the congressman canceled at the last minute, but the congressman's office said no such meeting was ever booked, according to prosecutors. Advertisement Brave had, however, been dating a woman who lived in Maryland at the time. She began coming to New Hampshire later that year, then her relationship with Brave deteriorated, and she wound up filing a police report over his failure to repay $2,300 she had given him toward the purchase of a car that was never delivered, according to prosecutors. Brave also recruited a childhood friend to work for the sheriff's office, then promoted her seven months later to a better-paying position that he created without approval from the Strafford County commissioners, according to prosecutors. He took his friend-turned-subordinate on a 'work trip' to meet with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida and research how her new job would be structured, but when they arrived, he told her their meetings had been canceled. She was surprised to see their accommodations were one hotel room with a king-sized bed. (Both have denied sleeping together.) County officials have said Brave, who was elected in 2020 as the first Black sheriff in New Hampshire history, initially resisted calls to place himself on administrative leave, as he claimed to be the victim of a racist and politically motivated investigation. But, faced with an ultimatum, he Advertisement Brave was This criminal prosecution isn't the only trouble stemming from Brave's lack of candor. An internal investigation commissioned by county officials found The plea deal calls for Brave to repay the nearly $19,000 he stole from taxpayers, surrender his policing certifications, and refrain from seeking or accepting any employment as a law enforcement officer in the future. Steven Porter can be reached at
Boston Globe
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘Troubling and ironic': Candidate who urged N.H. officials to uphold election integrity fined for voting illegally
Berlin said he lived with his parents in Durham, but actually lived at his own multi-unit property in Madbury, according to cease-and-desist letters the New Hampshire Department of Justice sent to him in February and March. Advertisement The letters, which the DOJ released to The Boston Globe this week in response to a public records request, slapped Berlin with a $750 fine for wrongful voting and told him to quit casting ballots in a town where he doesn't reside. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up The DOJ also told Berlin, a Republican, to stop running for offices he isn't eligible to hold. His name had appeared on the ballot as a candidate for the New Hampshire House to represent Strafford County District 10, which includes Durham, but not Madbury, and state lawmakers must reside in the districts they represent. Berlin, however, is disputing the DOJ's conclusion about his primary residence. He filed an appeal this week in Merrimack County Superior Court, as Advertisement Berlin's attorney, Tony F. Soltani, said the DOJ relied on hearsay and ignored evidence that his legal domicile is in Durham, not Madbury. With his domicile in dispute, Berlin cannot confidently vote in either town without fear of further scrutiny and potential legal action, Soltani said. 'That chills the ability to vote anywhere, not just for Mr. Berlin but for every voter in the state,' he said. Several other Granite Staters have been fined for trying to cast ballots in the 2024 general election in municipalities where they no longer reside, according to DOJ records. Soltani said Berlin's case isn't the first time the DOJ has issued a fine for wrongful voting based on flimsy evidence, but most people just pay up and walk away. 'I'm hoping that this will be the kind of case that puts the government on notice that this fundamental right is not going to be trampled or chilled willy-nilly,' he said. 'There are some people that are going to fight back.' Meanwhile, local leaders welcomed news that the DOJ had issued a fine. Durham Town Administrator Todd I. Selig said some residents had voiced doubts about Berlin's residency, so town officials consulted with the state and then advised people they could file complaints with the DOJ or the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office. 'In this case, the process worked as intended,' Selig said. 'Concerns were investigated by the appropriate state authorities, a determination was made, and legal consequences were imposed.' While acknowledging that Berlin has appealed the DOJ's fine, Selig said it's 'deeply troubling and ironic' that someone who advocated for strict adherence to election laws has himself been found in violation. Advertisement 'Wrongful voting undermines public trust in the electoral process and is a serious offense for any person to commit,' he said. According to the cease-and-desist letters, the DOJ received a complaint from Berlin's brother alleging he didn't actually live with his parents. Investigators then spoke with a tenant who said Berlin lives at the Madbury property, and they reviewed other records that indicate he receives property tax bills via mail at the Madbury address and uses electricity in a manner that suggests he lives there, according to the letters. Soltani said, however, that his client lists the Durham property on a variety of official documents, receives mail at that address, and sleeps there, though he may sometimes stay overnight elsewhere, including at the Madbury property. Prior to the election, Berlin worked with several other Republicans, including former Boston police officer Joseph Abasciano, who Abasciano was Abasciano had described former vice president Mike Pence as 'treasonous,' but an internal investigation found he Advertisement Abasciano has continued spreading allegations of electoral malfeasance. He sent an email in October 2024 to an elections attorney for the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office, claiming the office had failed to adequately investigate concerns in Durham, so he and Berlin 'officially launched their own investigation.' Abasciano's letter, which was co-signed by Berlin and five local GOP officials, argued he had established 'reasonable suspicion' sufficient to justify granting him access to Durham voter records. 'Any further delay to this request will be considered obstruction and interfering in an official investigation,' he wrote. Durham officials said they released to Berlin a copy of the town's regular voter checklist, but didn't release records with details that are deemed private under state law. Durham, which is home to the University of New Hampshire's flagship campus, is a Democratic stronghold where many UNH students use same-day voter registration to sign up and cast a ballot on Election Day — a situation that has inspired various Republican-backed efforts to tighten voter eligibility requirements in ways that impact college students. Soltani acknowledged that Berlin had emphasized the importance of complying with election laws. His goal was to ensure all Durham voters would receive the same treatment, Soltani said. 'And he didn't get that here,' he added. In the past six months, several other voters have been fined for either voting illegally in the 2024 general election or making false material statements while attempting to do so, according to records from the New Hampshire DOJ. The bulk of these cases involved otherwise-eligible Granite Staters who sought to cast ballots in municipalities where they no longer reside. Advertisement But in one case, a voter was fined for maintaining an out-of-state domicile rather than establishing residency in New Hampshire. Adam M. Finkel was fined $1,500 for wrongfully voting in Dalton, N.H., in both the state primary and general elections in 2024, according to a cease-and-desist letter the DOJ sent to him in late April. Investigators concluded that, although Finkel has a home in Dalton and has voted continuously in Dalton since 2019, his home in Pennington, N.J., is actually his primary residence. Finkel — a vocal opponent of a proposed landfill near Dalton's Forest Lake — filed income taxes as a New Jersey resident and presented a New Jersey driver's license when checking in to vote in Dalton during the 2024 state primary, according to the DOJ's letter. But Finkel, a Democrat, disputes the DOJ's conclusion. He said he's open to paying a fine for his failure to update his driver's license, but he doesn't think a fine for wrongful voting is warranted, especially since the DOJ website has a Finkel said he has treated the Dalton house as his domicile for several years and hasn't voted in New Jersey since he began voting in New Hampshire. In an email, he told DOJ officials he was 'disappointed' by 'various errors of fact' in their letter and intends to appeal. Advertisement 'I look forward to my day in court,' he wrote, 'on behalf of myself and anyone else that DOJ is victimizing in this manner.' Steven Porter can be reached at
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Executive Council approves longtime prosecutor Strelzin as assistant attorney general
The New Hampshire Department of Justice building in Concord. (File photo by Annmarie Timmins/New Hampshire Bulletin) Jeffery A. Strelzin, who served as New Hampshire's homicide unit chief for nearly 14 years, will soon return to the state Attorney General's Office. The Executive Council approved the longtime prosecutor's appointment as an assistant attorney general for the state on its consent calendar Wednesday. Strelzin's term will run from June 13 of this year to Sept. 30, 2025, at a salary of $123,000. Strelzin spent 22 years at the state Department of Justice before taking a job as an assistant U.S. attorney in May 2023, according to his resume. He overlapped with Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte's time as the state's attorney general from 2004 to 2009. His last post with the state was as an associate attorney general and director of the state's Division of Public Protection, where he oversaw the criminal, consumer protection and antitrust, and environmental bureaus. While at the U.S. attorney's office in Concord, he prosecuted various federal crimes, and 'developed and presented training to law enforcement officers and prosecutors on a variety of legal issues,' Attorney General John Formella said in a recommendation letter. Formella, who is a 'holdover' status as the governor reviews his department, said Strelzin would be 'responsible for establishing and implementing a state-wide training program for prosecutors as well as developing and conducting training on relevant topics.' The council also moved to appoint Alexander Kellermann as an assistant attorney general and reappoint Zachary A. Frish under the same title, with both terms ending in 2030.
