NASHUA — By allegedly applying for both unemployment compensation and COVID-19 related enhanced federal benefits to which he was not legally entitled, Nashua resident Nicholas C. Martin succeeded in collecting some $17,650 before investigators tracked him down and charged him with with one Class A felony count of unemployment compensation fraud, according to Attorney General John Formella and state Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis.

A grand jury indicted Martin, 32, last week on the charge, and his arraignment is pending in Hillsborough County Superior Court South.

A motion to amend the indictment was subsequently filed, and awaiting a judge’s ruling.

The charge as written in the statute is unemployment compensation; false statement/misrepresentation, over $1,000.

But according to Formella and Copadis, Martin allegedly fraudulently obtained far more compensation over the course of 36 weeks.

They allege Martin “knowingly failed to disclose his employment and earnings … to the Department of Employment Security, in order to obtain or increase his unemployment compensation benefits,” according to Formella and Copadis.

Martin at the time worked at the Nashua Applebee’s restaurant, which is in Somerset Plaza at 379 Amherst St.

The alleged fraud occurred “beginning the week ending March 21, 2020, and between the weeks ending June 27, 2020 and March 13, 2021,” according to Formella and Copadis.

During those time periods, Martin allegedly “submitted a weekly continued claim form 36 times, and answered ‘no’ to the question: ‘Last week, did you work or perform services? This includes just starting a new job, working part-time employment, or working for yourself, regardless of whether you have received payment,’ and/or failed to fully and accurately report the hours he did work and wages he earned.

“As a result, Mr. Martin received $17,650.00 in unemployment compensation benefits, including enhanced federal benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, to which he was not entitled,” Formella and Copadis stated.

They also issued a reminder to Granite Staters that the Department of Employment Security “provides unemployment compensation benefits to eligible claimants who are unemployed through no fault of their own.”

Further, the department “prosecutes both criminal and civil unemployment compensation fraud with the goal of protecting New Hampshire’s unemployment compensation trust fund.”

Anyone who wishes to report a case of possible unemployment fraud is urged to call 800-852-3400, or use the online form that can be found at https://business.nh.gov/NCharge/NHES/default.asp?form_name=InsuranceFraud.

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