Concord, NH - Attorney General John M. Formella and Department of Employment Security Commissioner Richard J. Lavers announce that the Rockingham County Grand Jury has returned indictments against Nicholas Colarusso, age 36, in connection with alleged unemployment compensation fraud.

The indictments charge Colarusso with Unemployment Compensation Fraud (Class A Felony), Theft by Deception (Class A Felony), and Attempted Unemployment Compensation Fraud (Class A Felony).

According to the indictments, from April 2020 to June 2021 Colarusso allegedly submitted false unemployment claims to the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security. The indictments allege that he failed to disclose his full-time employment with Make a Difference Landscaping LLC and/or Groundhog Landscaping and Property Maintenance Inc., and that as a result he allegedly received more than $36,000 in unemployment compensation, including enhanced federal COVID-19 benefits, while continuing to work.

Colarusso is scheduled to be arraigned on February 20, 2026, in Rockingham County Superior Court. Each Class A felony offense is punishable by up to 7 ½ to 15 years in state prison, a fine, or both.

The investigation was conducted by the Department of Employment Security's Benefit Payment Control Unit. The Department provides unemployment benefits to eligible individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own and investigates allegations of fraud to protect New Hampshire's unemployment trust fund. The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security receives program funding and grant awards from the U.S. Department of Labor.

To report possible unemployment fraud, call (603) 228-4019, or email the Department of Employment Security at [email protected].

The charges and allegations against Mr. Colarusso are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.