Hampton Man Indicted 10 Times After Defrauding Relative's Estate

A local man is facing a slew of forgery and theft charges in connection to stealing money from the estate of his relative.

Paul Fowler Jr., 45, of 825 Lafayette Road, Apt. 112, in Hampton, was indicted this month by a Rockingham Superior Court grand jury on eight Class B felony forgery counts, as well as a Class A felony count of theft by unauthorized taking and a felony count of operating a motor vehicle after certification as an habitual offender.

Fowler allegedly "obtained unauthorized control over $2,090 in United States currency, the property of Andrew Fowler's estate" and illegally cashed eight checks totaling that amount from Andrew Fowler's bank account between Oct. 10, 2012, and Nov. 21, 2012, in Exeter, according to the indictments.

The Hampton Police Department arrested Fowler on a warrant for forgery while he was at Burger King on Feb. 8, and Fowler was arrested on a warrant again on March 11.

Fowler faces an unknown possible jail sentence for the theft and forgery charges. The indictment for the habitual offender offense, which states Fowler illegally drove a motor vehicle on Portsmouth Avenue in Exeter on Oct. 24, 2012, calls for a possible sentence of between 1 and 5 years in jail.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt or conviction; rather, it means a grand jury believed there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.