NH corrections officer sentenced in fraudulent $14G OT pay scheme

CONCORD - A state corrections officer pleaded guilty to defrauding the corrections department of more than $14,000 by submitting phony time cards for overtime shifts in the state prison system.

Craig Come, 35, of Hooksett, was sentenced in Merrimack Superior Court on Thursday to one class A misdemeanor count of theft by deception and one class A misdemeanor count of official oppression.

An investigation established that, between January and April 2020, Come -who was employed at that time as a corrections officer with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and assigned to the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women - falsely claimed to work over 30 overtime shifts at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men on his timecard. As a result, Come defrauded the State of New Hampshire out of a total of $14,269.69 in wage, retirement, and benefit payments. When confronted by personnel of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, Come admitted to making the fraudulent entries on his timecard.

The court sentenced Come to concurrent sentences of 12 months in the House of corrections, all deferred for a period of one year. The Court also retained jurisdiction up to and after the deferred period to impose or terminate the sentences or to suspend or further the sentences for an additional period of three years. The court also ordered Come to pay $14,269.69 in restitution to the State of New Hampshire, and to complete 250 hours of community service during the deferral period.

Additional conditions of Mr. Come's sentences include: (1) that he will voluntarily surrender his certification as a correctional officer in the State of New Hampshire and be placed on a national registry of decertified officers; (2) that he will not seek future employment as a law enforcement or correctional officer; and (3) that he will not contest his placement on the State of New Hampshire's Exculpatory Evidence Schedule (EES").

This case was investigated and prosecuted by members of the Attorney General Office's Public Integrity Unit. The New Hampshire Department of Justice's Public Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes allegations of criminal conduct committed by state officials, judicial officers, and law enforcement officers in the State of New Hampshire.