Lawyers for New Hampshire casino owner fight fraud allegations at hearing

abcnews.go.com:

A former New Hampshire state senator is fighting allegations that he fraudulently obtained a COVID-19 relief loan and used part of the money to buy luxury cars

CONCORD, N.H. — A former state senator and casino owner accused of buying luxury cars with a fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief loan kept financial records that were “sloppy at best” and nefarious at worst, an auditor testified Monday. But his attorney argued that the state is trying to destroy his business based on a sloppy investigation.

Andy Sanborn, a Republican from Bedford, did not attend the hearing he requested to appeal the state Lottery Commission’s August decision to permanently revoke his gaming operator’s license. His attorney said Sanborn was at a Boston hospital, accompanied by his wife, Laurie, a leader in the New Hampshire House.

Sanborn owns the Concord Casino within The Draft Sports Bar and Grill in Concord and is seeking to open another, much larger, charitable gaming venue a few miles (kilometers) away. But the commission argues that his license should be revoked for four reasons, though it only needs one. It said he improperly obtained federal funds, misrepresented how he spent the money, paid himself large sums as rent and failed to keep accurate records overall.

“This case is about the public’s confidence in charitable gaming. It’s about accountability,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jessica King. “At its core, the evidence will show that Mr. Sanborn was co-mingling funds, mislabeling personal expenses as business expenses and running a financially-based business without regard to important regulations put in place as safeguards in this high risk industry.”

According to the investigation, Sanborn fraudulently obtained $844,000