On July 31st, former New Hampshire attorney Justin P. Nadeau found himself in a legal entanglement of his own, as announced by New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. Nadeau has been charged with theft by deception, forgery, falsifying physical evidence, and financial exploitation of an impaired adult, each allegation casting a shadow on his once-practicing law career.
After suffering a traumatic brain injury, a client, whose wits may not have been fully about them, was purportedly deceived into granting loans totaling $281,500 to Nadeau. In the affidavit, as reported by the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Nadeau induced the loans under false pretenses and then appeared intent on concealing his deceptive moves – altering electronic file metadata and submitting bogus documents to elude the scrutiny of the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline Office (ADO).
Nadeau's legal counsel will have a stage set for defense come Monday, September 9, 2024, when the arraignment is set to take place at the Rockingham County Circuit Court in Portsmouth. It should be stressed, as per customary legal procedure, that the charges are mere allegations at this juncture – Nadeau is presumed innocent unless it is or until proof is established beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles and Attorney Alexander J. Kellermann are the designated prosecutors for this case, demonstrating with dedicated investigation that justice is not bound by the stature of the accused. After all, one must remember, it is not the position that one holds which dictates the scales of justice, but the adherence to the law regardless of one's standing in the community.
