Gilford resident sentenced to prison, restitution in brewery fraud case

CONCORD — A Gilford resident was sentenced to a year in prison in Hillsborough County Superior Court's Northern District for apparent theft, fraud and conspiracy offenses.

Dennis Nordquist, 71, was sentenced to serve two concurrent sentences of 18 months to three years in state prison, according to a news release from Attorney General John M. Formella on Wednesday.

His sentence includes a recommendation for administrative home confinement after one year on theft by deception and securities fraud felony charges. Nordquist was also sentenced to 3.5 to seven years in prison for felony conspiracy to commit theft by deception. The 3.5- to seven-year sentence is suspended, and Nordquist must follow all conditions of that suspension for a period of 10 years after his release from incarceration. He’s also ordered to pay restitution in an amount yet to be determined.

Nordquist was convicted in April for his role in securing a $962,000 loan to White Birch Brewing, LLC, a Nashua brewery which is now defunct. The jury decided that Nordquist “conspired to obtain the loan by deception,” even going so far as to agree to repay the loan personally if the brewery defaulted, though he had no ability nor intention to do so.

A 2020 news release from former Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald states Nordquist and another individual — 46-year-old David Herlicka — were charged with theft by deception, conspiracy to commit theft by deception and securities fraud. 

According to that release, the charges allege Herlicka and Nordquist conspired with each other and acted individually to fraudulently obtain an investment of nearly $1 million from an individual identified as R.S., between Sept. 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. The goal was to finance the brewery, which was owned by Herlicka. 

The charges also alleged the pair lied and omitted important facts in their communication with R.S. in order to secure the investment in White Birch Brewing.

Calice Ducey investigated the case with assistance from the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities Regulation. Senior Assistant Attorney General Kevin Scura and Assistant Attorney General J.R. Davis prosecuted the case. Sunny Mulligan Shea assisted as the victim-witness advocate. 

All are part of the New Hampshire Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau, which investigates and prosecutes deceptive and unfair business practices against New Hampshire consumers. To file a complaint with the bureau, call 888-468-4454 or file a complaint at doj.nh.gov/citizens/consumer-protection-antitrust-bureau/consumer-complaints.