CONCORD — Nashua resident Sean Hendricks has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in his unemployment compensation fraud case, which in part orders him to pay back $28,800 he wrongfully received plus an additional $5,500 in penalties, according to state Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis.

Hendricks’s sentencing order also includes a 12-month term in State Prison, with 6 months deferred, meaning he will serve 6 months, with the possibility of earning partial reduction of the sentence for good behavior.

The charge, a Class A felony, accuses Hendricks of “knowingly failing to disclose his employment and earnings” to the state “in order to obtain, or increase, his unemployment compensation benefits,” Copadis and Attorney General John Formella said in a joint statement.

The sentence is conditioned upon good behavior, the payment totaling $34,564 in restitution and penalties, and disqualification from receiving unemployment compensation benefits for one year.

According to the complaint, Hendricks submitted a weekly continued claim form on 46 occasions between Jan. 6, 2020 and Jan. 2, 2021, on which he answered “no” to the question: “Last week, did you work or perform services? This includes starting a new job, working part-time employment, or working for yourself, regardless of whether you have received payment.”

By answering “no,” Hendricks fraudulently received unemployment benefits, including enhanced federal unemployment benefits that stemmed from the pandemic.

In their joint statement, Copadis and Formella said the purpose of the Department of Employment Security is to provide 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.”

To report possible unemployment fraud, call 800-852-3400, ext. 84016, or use the online form that can be found at www.business.nh.gov.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.