Legal LOOPHOLE for false statements made by town officials! Public outrage follows!

PROSECUTOR MCLAUGHLIN’S MEMO SPARKS PUBLIC OUTRAGE OVER LEGAL LOOPHOLE FOR FALSE STATEMENTS BY TOWN OFFICIALS

Newmarket, NH – A recent memo authored by Cheshire County Prosecutor Chris McLaughlin has ignited public concern after asserting that Newmarket Town Manager Steve Fournier cannot be charged with a crime for making false statements during a recorded 2024 interview related to allegations of public corruption.

In his June 12, 2025, memo, McLaughlin concluded that Fournier’s statements—whether lies, misstatements, or inaccurate recollections—are irrelevant under the law because he was not under oath or affirmation during his August 13, 2024, interview with former Sullivan County Prosecutor Mark Hathaway. The interview, conducted via Microsoft Teams, was audio and video recorded as part of a broader inquiry into alleged misconduct stemming from the 2015 Newmarket superintendent search process.

“Simply put,” wrote McLaughlin, “Mr. Fournier was not sworn in during his interview with Attorney Hathaway, and with two narrow exceptions (not applicable here), it is not a crime to lie to a state or local law enforcement officer or public servant conducting an investigation.”

The statement has stunned legal observers and community members alike, many of whom view the position as a green light for public officials to mislead investigators without consequence.

Fournier’s contradictory statements go to the heart of ongoing allegations that Newmarket officials falsified public records and lied to courts about the operations of the 2015 Superintendent Screening Committee. Despite audiovisual recordings and official meeting minutes proving that the committee met from November 5–8, 2015, Newmarket officials claimed in legal proceedings that no such meetings occurred.

Critics now fear that McLaughlin’s memo solidifies a dangerous precedent: that truth is optional for public servants unless they are explicitly placed under oath.

The memo adds to a growing record of prosecutorial inaction. County Attorney Patricia Conway refused to investigate these contradictions. Mark Hathaway waited until after retirement to reengage. The New Hampshire State Police declined to investigate. Now, McLaughlin has dismissed the matter entirely.

Said Jeffrey T. Clay, who first brought these allegations to the state in 2017: “If it’s not a crime for public officials to falsify records or lie during an official investigation, then who exactly is our law meant to protect?”

This latest development raises serious questions about accountability, the rule of law, and whether public officials in New Hampshire are truly subject to the same legal standards as the citizens they serve.

Jeffrey Thomas Clay