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A New Hampshire lawmaker resigned as head of a study committee on gambling Friday, a day after authorities said she and her husband were under criminal investigation.
Rep. Laurie Sanborn of Bedford was the chairperson of a commission that began an extensive review of the state’s charitable gaming industry last month.
Her husband, a former state senator, is alleged to have used Covid-19 relief payments to buy luxury cars for the two of them.
Former Sen. Andy Sanborn owns the Concord Casino within The Draft Sports Bar and Grill in Concord and is seeking to open a much larger venue a few miles away, but the state lottery commission is now moving to permanently ban him from operating any such business.
Federal authorities have been notified, and the state has begun a criminal investigation, said Attorney General John Formella.
“This case highlights the importance of law enforcement’s role in keeping illegal activity out of New Hampshire’s charitable gaming industry,” he said in a statement. “Our obligation to protect the public demands that we take action against any person who is found to have used their regulated casino to enrich themselves with fraudulently obtained taxpayer funds.”
Andy Sandborn said he applied for federal relief to meet “operational challenges” created by the pandemic and did his due diligence to ensure compliance with the application’s requirements.
Authorities claim otherwise. They say Sandborn fraudulently obtained $844,000 in funding from the Small Business Administration and used $181,000 to purchase two Porsche race cars and $80,000 on a Ferrari for his wife. Sanborn also paid himself more than $183,000 for what he characterized as rent for his Concord properties, the attorney general said.
Laurie Sandborn serves as a Republican from the Hillsborough 41 district, having been first elected in 2012. Sanborn has been a Deputy Majority Leader since December 2, 2020.
Her husband served four terms in the state Senate before unsuccessfully running for Congress in 2018.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
