Disbarred lawyer and former Democratic candidate for Congress Justin P. Nadeau was indicted on 15 counts stemming from accusations he bilked $281,500 from a former client who had a traumatic brain injury, officials said.
Nadeau, 51, faces one count of theft by deception, two counts of financial exploitation of an elderly, disabled or impaired adult, one count of forgery and 11 counts of falsifying physical evidence, Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement released after a Rockingham County Grand Jury returned the indictments Friday.
Nadeau lives in Rye, according to his arrest warrant. In 2004, he ran for the U.S. House in the 1st Congressional District, losing to former Rep. Jeb Bradley.
The theft by deception and financial exploitation indictments allege that between Aug. 17-22, 2018, Nadeau obtained a $275,000 loan from his now former client, who had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury, under false pretenses. Nadeau is accused of failing to disclose a lien, adverse claim, or other legal impediment to a condominium that he encumbered as collateral for the loan.
Nadeau, who formerly practiced law in Portsmouth, is also accused of taking a second loan from the same client on Dec. 12, 2018. Additionally, the forgery indictment alleges that, in an effort to perpetrate a fraud on his former client, Nadeau signed his former wife’s signature to a promissory note representing a pecuniary interest.
The falsification of physical evidence indictments allege that Nadeau tried to conceal his misconduct from the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline Office, including by fabricating documentation, producing false electronic file metadata, and by destroying and/or concealing his computer.
Nadeau is scheduled to be arraigned in Rockingham County Superior Court on Oct. 23.
According to the affidavit for his arrest warrant, Nadeau borrowed the money from Shawn Fahey of Exeter.
Fahey was recovering from injuries she suffered in 2018 when the car she was in was struck head-on by a drunken driver. Nadeau took her on as a personal injury client.
In August 2018, Nadeau and his wife agreed to buy an $840,000 home in Hampton, using $275,000 borrowed from Fahey as a down payment, although he listed the loan as a “gift,” stating that no repayment of the gift was expected or implied in his loan application for the home purchase, court documents state.
In December 2018, Nadeau borrowed an additional $6,500 from Fahey, according to the affidavit.
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