For Immediate Release
Date: April 20, 2022

Contact

Michael S. Garrity, Director of Communications
(603) 931-9375 | michael.s.garrity@doj.nh.gov
Richard Lavers, Deputy Commissioner - Department of Employment Security
(603) 228-4064
Lissa Mascio, Unemployment Fraud Prosecutor
(603) 271-1296

State v. Julio Romero

Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella and Department of Employment Security Commissioner George N. Copadis announce that Julio Romero of Nashua, New Hampshire, was indicted on April 14, 2022 in Hillsborough County South Superior Court, on one count of unemployment compensation fraud, a class A felony.

The State alleges that over the course of three benefit years, between the weeks ending December 26, 2015 and April 7, 2018, Mr. Romero knowingly failed to disclose his employment and earnings to the Department of Employment Security in order to obtain or increase his unemployment compensation benefits; in that, on 47 occasions he submitted a weekly continued claim form and answered "No" to the question: "Did you work or perform any services, including self-employment last week? Regardless of whether or not you have been paid for the work or services." As a result, Mr. Romero is alleged to have fraudulently received $8,242.00 in unemployment compensation benefits.

The charges and allegations set forth in the indictment are merely accusations, and Mr. Romero is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Department of Employment Security provides unemployment compensation benefits to eligible claimants who are unemployed through no fault of their own. The Department investigates and prosecutes both criminal and civil unemployment compensation fraud with the goal of protecting New Hampshire's unemployment compensation trust fund.