The Public Integrity Unit that Destroys Public Trust:

New Hampshire likes to paint itself as a state of accountability, transparency, and civic virtue. But behind the curtain sits one of the most dysfunctional, self-protective, and ethically bankrupt institutions in the state government: the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity. An agency allegedly created to protect citizens from corrupt officials has instead become the single greatest enabler of government misconduct in New Hampshire.

Let’s be brutally honest: the Public Integrity Unit does not investigate corruption — it buries it.
It does not protect the public — it protects the politically connected.
It does not enforce the law — it weaponizes selective blindness to shield government actors from consequences.

And nowhere is this more glaring than in the Unit’s handling of the criminal allegations involving the Town of Newmarket and its attorneys at DTC, where evidence of felony conduct was placed in the hands of Attorney Thomas Velardi, only for him to astonishingly declare that “no crimes were committed.”
A phrase destined to go down as the most embarrassing slogan in the history of New Hampshire law enforcement.

A PATTERN OF PROTECTIONS — NOT INVESTIGATIONS

The Public Integrity Unit does not even pretend to examine the facts.
It does not cross-check documents.
It does not reconcile contradictions.
It does not compare sworn affidavits to public records.
It simply decides, from the moment a complaint arrives, whether the accused is a town official or government attorney — and if so, the answer is already predetermined:

“No crime. Case closed.”

Over 100 pages of evidence of misconduct?
Contradictory affidavits?
False statements made to courts?
Misrepresentations to the RTK Ombudsman?
Emails proving concealed deliberations?
A Town Manager caught contradicting his own sworn affidavit?
Courts misled by mutually exclusive factual narratives?

It doesn’t matter.
The Unit only asks one question:

“Would investigating this inconvenience the political establishment?”

If the answer is yes, the Public Integrity Unit immediately transforms from watchdog to guard dog — guarding the officials, not the public.

THE NH DOJ HAS CREATED AN UNOFFICIAL POLICY:
PUBLIC OFFICIALS CANNOT COMMIT FELONIES

When the Public Integrity Unit tells a citizen who presents overwhelming evidence of:

– Falsification of Government Records (RSA 641:3)
– Unsworn Falsification (RSA 641:4)
– Obstruction of Government Administration (RSA 642:1)
– Evidence Tampering (RSA 638:1, RSA 641:6)
– Official Oppression (RSA 643:1)
– Criminal Conspiracy (RSA 629:3)

…that none of these crimes even rise to the level of articulable suspicion, the NH DOJ is not applying the law.

It is rewriting it.

It is declaring that government officials, town attorneys, and state-connected law firms are functionally immune from prosecution, no matter how blatant the evidence may be.

In the Newmarket matter, the Public Integrity Unit reviewed:

– Four contradictory factual narratives;
– Multiple sworn affidavits that directly conflict;
– Court filings disproven by the town’s own RTK responses;
– A Town Manager denying the existence of emails later admitted to in other forums;
– Lawyers arguing two opposite positions in two different courts;
– Evidence that public records were concealed, withheld, and misrepresented.

Yet somehow, Attorney Velardi emerged from this mountain of contradictions with the conclusion:

“Nothing to see here.”

The only way to arrive at such a conclusion is through willful blindness, political interference, or outright institutional corruption.

THE PUBLIC INTEGRITY UNIT IS WHERE COMPLAINTS GO TO DIE

Citizens file complaints believing the State DOJ is a guardian of justice.
Instead, the Public Integrity Unit acts like a morgue.

Complaints go in alive and breathing.
They come out zipped in a body bag.

The Unit’s process is simple:

1. Delay the review.
2. Demand more paperwork.
3. Pretend to read it.
4. Call accused officials behind the scenes.
5. Coordinate narratives.
6. Issue a boilerplate “no investigation” letter.
7. Blame the complainant for not providing enough evidence — the same evidence the Unit refuses to review.

This isn’t “oversight.”
This is institutional rot.

This is state-sponsored obstruction masquerading as law enforcement.

WHAT HAPPENED TO “PUBLIC INTEGRITY”?

The Public Integrity Unit:

– Accepts falsified affidavits without scrutiny;
– Ignores contradictory public records;
– Takes government officials’ statements at face value;
– Contacts accused officials privately before making determinations;
– Refuses to interview complainants;
– Refuses to subpoena records;
– Refuses to investigate even the most blatant evidence tampering;

And then has the audacity to blame citizens for not meeting their “standard.”

Here is the real standard:

If the accused is a government insider, the Public Integrity Unit will protect them at all costs.

The Unit has become a public relations shield — not a law enforcement body.

THE MESSAGE TO CITIZENS IS CLEAR:
YOU HAVE NO PROTECTION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

The AG’s Office of Public Integrity has sent a chilling message to every municipality, town manager, and government attorney:

Lie. Conceal records. Submit falsified affidavits.
Contradict yourself in multiple tribunals.
Obstruct the courts.
Tamper with evidence.
The AG will cover for you.

To every citizen, the message is even more chilling:

If a public official commits a crime against you — you’re on your own.

NEW HAMPSHIRE DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS CORRUPT, DEFENSIVE, POLITICALLY SHIELDED AGENCY

A functioning Public Integrity Unit would:

– Investigate falsified government records;
– Enforce perjury laws;
– Treat contradictory government statements as red flags;
– Protect the public’s Right-to-Know;
– Refuse to tolerate evidence tampering;
– Hold attorneys accountable for dishonesty.

Instead, ours does the opposite.

New Hampshire must face reality:

The Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity has become the single most dangerous threat to actual public integrity.

When citizens cannot trust the entity charged with policing government corruption, the entire justice system collapses.

And in New Hampshire, that collapse is already underway.