I was reading another article on a guy who swindled people out of money and someone wrote this in the comments:

"I don't know this guy, but anyone remember the famous Judge John Fairbanks from Newport? He stole millions from his clients, went on the run and finally killed himself in Canada. I wonder if any of his victims were paid back?
I also recall he lived a secret gay lifestyle only uncovered after he ran.
Can't judge a book by his cover...or perhaps book a judge who's undercover, eh?
- soon2bbackinNH, Spring Hill, FL"

This isn't in the Case Updates/expanded info on here, so just checking to see if anyone else recalls seeing this.

I was reading another article on a guy who swindled people out of money and someone wrote this in the comments:

"I don't know this guy, but anyone remember the famous Judge John Fairbanks from Newport? He stole millions from his clients, went on the run and finally killed himself in Canada. I wonder if any of his victims were paid back?
I also recall he lived a secret gay lifestyle only uncovered after he ran.
Can't judge a book by his cover...or perhaps book a judge who's undercover, eh?
- soon2bbackinNH, Spring Hill, FL"

This isn't in the Case Updates/expanded info on here, so just checking to see if anyone else recalls seeing this.

UM updated his case at the end saying he was found dead (of an apparent suicide) in a hotel room in Las Vegas. No sign of the money he stole so authorities speculate he may have blew it all in Vegas before taking his own life. UM made no mention of a secret gay lifestyle.

Hey CD, I was also curious as to what happened to him, I recently watched this case for the first time, and to me the whole thing seemed so unnecessary. Besides being a judge (which pays pretty good I would guess), he had his own lucrative practice, and was apparently well off. I can't understand why anyone would want to jeopardize all that and live like a fugitive for the rest of his life :confused:

Hey CD, I was also curious as to what happened to him, I recently watched this case for the first time, and to me the whole thing seemed so unnecessary. Besides being a judge (which pays pretty good I would guess), he had his own lucrative practice, and was apparently well off. I can't understand why anyone would want to jeopardize all that and live like a fugitive for the rest of his life :confused:

Yes the only reason that makes much sense is greed. No doubt he wasn't hurting for money but UM did mention of the extremely fancy home he had and I suppose he felt he needed the best of everything. Just such a horrible crime, to betray the trust of all those people who had the utmost faith in him and steal their money.

UM updated his case at the end saying he was found dead (of an apparent suicide) in a hotel room in Las Vegas. No sign of the money he stole so authorities speculate he may have blew it all in Vegas before taking his own life. UM made no mention of a secret gay lifestyle.

Secret gay lifestyle? Aha! Now I have a theory as to what might have happened to all the money he stole from his clients: he used the money to secretly invest in a bathhouse! :lol:

Here's the theory: he invested in a bathhouse with all the money he stole from his clients. He also used the place for his own personal pleasure (if you catch my drift), but all he got was displeasure. To make matters worse, the bathhouse was a failure and went out of business. Judge Fairbanks was so depressed by these setbacks that he did away with himself. :lol:

Secret gay lifestyle? Aha! Now I have a theory as to what might have happened to all the money he stole from his clients: he used the money to secretly invest in a bathhouse! :lol:

Here's the theory: he invested in a bathhouse with all the money he stole from his clients. He also used the place for his own personal pleasure (if you catch my drift), but all he got was displeasure. To make matters worse, the bathhouse was a failure and went out of business. Judge Fairbanks was so depressed by these setbacks that he did away with himself. :lol:


I know you meant that as a funny (and it was), but hey, gay life style, money, bathhouse, Vegas..... All sounds pretty possible when you think about it. :lol:

His 65th birthday was October 19, 1987. This same day was also Black Monday where the stock market had the largest crash (up to that point). He likely had already invested and lost a lot of his own money and other people's money (but not all of it).

His scam might have worked for many more years in a bull market; however, the house of cards began to crumble when the stock marked crashed in 1987. That is when people started asking questions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_(1987)

Before he disappeared, one person realized that his brother's estate was already 70% in the red and the Judge had taken the money.

He had been investing other people's money for years and embezzling money. It is likely his lucrative practice was mostly just embezzling and not the legal practice everyone thought he had. He was investing other people's and losing it for a 20 year period (and likely stole over 10 million).

The market was still in major trouble in 1989 when he disappeared (it took two years for the market to get back to where it had been) and he only had $250,000 of the original ten million when he left.

What happened to that money? Who knows.

glad he's no longer around to steal anymore money from his citizens

What happened to that money? Who knows.

I think the speculation was that he'd actually spent it all before he committed suicide. :( You'd think there would be property or possessions you could trace it back to.

http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=In+public+corruption+exam%2c+NH+has+a+cleaner+bill+of+health&articleId=3a07b286-b719-4d8c-950a-b3a0df28a4d2

I saw this today and found this comment posted below by a man who says he was on a Fairbanks investigatory committee:

Revisit the inside details of the Judge John C. Fairbanks case if you want a glimpse at inside trading on influence in New Hampshire's state affairs. The recorded testimony from numerous legislative hearings on the subject is still on file in Concord. As an attorney, Fairbanks allegedly bilked many clients of millions of dollars. He also allegedly traded decisions from the bench for sexual favors. When it came time to arrest Fairbanks, instead of going to Maine to pick him up at his summer cottage in Ogunquit, state law enforcement told him to drive himself to Concord and turn himself in. Fairbanks fled. He was never brought to justice despite state law enforcement being able to locate him. In my opinion, for reasons having to do with the prospect of testimony that would damn many high placed players in government and politics, it was in their interest that Fairbanks never appear in court.. Fairbanks died in Las Vegas, a suspicious “suicide” and the dishonest players he would have likely revealed in court skated free. When I served on the second legislative committee that investigated certain aspects of the Fairbanks affair, we were informed that the Las Vegas P.D. would be happy to re-open the investigation concerning Fairbank’s death if would only ask . Nothing ever came of this for reasons that for me are self-evident. Anyone interested can get a glimpse of just a tiny bit of this sordid episode if you Google Fairbank’s name.
- Paul Mirski, Enfield Center

So I searched around and gathered that Fairbanks was actually found suffocated in his hotel room; apparently, a bag was placed on his head and cinched. Also found in the room was a note allegedly written by Fairbanks attached to the mirror.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-03-29/news/mn-39828_1_las-vegas-hotel


Apparently the people of Sullivan Co, NH don't come to the suicide consensus. Many of them think it was an organized hit. I could personally understand that, as it's difficult to imagine that someone would choose to commit suicide by those means. The circumstances might lend into the scenario as well--perhaps Fairbanks owed money, for one reason or another, to a party on the other side of the law.

If I can figure out which beach house he lived in during the summers in Maine, I'lll try to get a pic posted in the locations thread.

I know it's a LATE reply... but, when his body was found in Las Vegas, there was a supposed "police convention" going on... that's what they called it, and local police officers of Newport and Sunapee were in attendance. They were also booked into the same hotel. What a coincidence, huh? Body was identified by Alan Soucy... a Sunapee, NH police officer. Sunapee is a town in Sullivan County.

PS - for the record... I am from Sullivan County, New Hampshire.

So... basically...
#1 ... the time his body was found... in Las Vegas... a police convention was going on, with Sullivan County officers in attendance.
#2 ... They were booked into the same hotel.
#3 ... A Sullivan County officer identified his body ASAP.

Apparently the people of Sullivan Co, NH don't come to the suicide consensus.


You got that right.

HUGE bump. And I'm sorry if a more recent thread exists. But I was watching this case on Amazon, and in the glorious HD you can see the actor who's playing as the judge wearing a bald cap. Look at that discoloration. Beautiful.

omg lmao...

well....at least they tried?

"It's too hard to find a bald actor..screw it, just put this swim cap on and we'll spray paint the top of your head. Hold still!"

HUGE bump. And I'm sorry if a more recent thread exists. But I was watching this case on Amazon, and in the glorious HD you can see the actor who's playing as the judge wearing a bald cap. Look at that discoloration. Beautiful.

To be fair, this story was shown during the height of the AIDS epidemic and you never can be too safe... :crazy: :lol:

To be fair, this story was shown during the height of the AIDS epidemic and you never can be too safe... :crazy: :lol:

"That's why the top of your head must look like a camouflaged condom at all times!"

I wonder if the camouflaged condom cap on the actor's head was intentionally symbolic of what the actual judge did to his clients. He ****ed them over, and shoved his head in that culo.

HUGE bump. And I'm sorry if a more recent thread exists. But I was watching this case on Amazon, and in the glorious HD you can see the actor who's playing as the judge wearing a bald cap. Look at that discoloration. Beautiful.
Wow, I just pulled out my own copy to see if I could spot the bald cap and am pretty embarrassed I never spotted it before. Even without HD the discoloration is obvious. :lol:

Wow, I just pulled out my own copy to see if I could spot the bald cap and am pretty embarrassed I never spotted it before. Even without HD the discoloration is obvious. :lol:

Given the fantastic names that the segments are called on Amazon, they should retitle this one "Judge Hairbanks"

He blew all that money in Vegas wonderful which casino.

Should have not bet it all on red.

He blew all that money in Vegas wonderful which casino.

Probably MGM Grand, based on the date of his suicide. In March 1994 the MGM Grand was brand new -- only a few months old -- and the must-visit destination in Las Vegas. He was staying at MGM Grand.

I doubt he had a stash of cash when he arrived. It was probably a last desperate stab to recoup a decent amount on the tables with backup plan to commit suicide if that failed. The hefty majority of financial fraudsters of this type steadily drain the money along the way via lavish lifestyle and extravagance, as opposed to setting it aside for long range plans.

I note that we had a few low-count posters from New Hampshire who doubted the suicide. I believe he did commit suicide. The Los Angeles Times article says the room was dead bolted from inside. Besides, I'm very familiar with that coroner Ron Flud who ruled it a suicide. He held that job for the bulk of my years in Las Vegas, and was always impressive during interviews and court room testimony.

This case was never as interesting as it could have been. I always thought it should have been Judge John Newport from Fairbanks, not Judge John Fairbanks from Newport.

If I can figure out which beach house he lived in during the summers in Maine, I'lll try to get a pic posted in the locations thread.


Please do. I'd love to see the fabulous houses he bought himself with the money, including the one in Newport, I've been unable to find either of the two he owned.

Does anybody know what happened to his family? There is speculation that they were communicating with him after he took off. I cannot find any info about his wife or their children.

I found this article...apparently the judge’s antics weren’t so secret.

http://docshare.tips/john-c-fairbanks-scandalous-judge39s-legacy-won39t-die-rural-nh_58607264b6d87fc4a18b707a.html

I found this article...apparently the judge’s antics weren’t so secret.

http://docshare.tips/john-c-fairbanks-scandalous-judge39s-legacy-won39t-die-rural-nh_58607264b6d87fc4a18b707a.html

Good Lord. So many people knew about this guy's dirty laundry year after year and life just went on as if it that were normal.

Given the fantastic names that the segments are called on Amazon, they should retitle this one "Judge Hairbanks"

Lolllllllllll

This was always one of my favorite segments for some reason. I guess it was the combo of the quaint town and the interviewees, and the eerie ultimate demise of the Judge.

Honestly, I could see how he apparently continued to skate by even with the sexual impropriety allegations. It's '80s small-town New England and he's a judge. If anyone could keep on slithering, it'd be a guy like that.

Lolllllllllll

This was always one of my favorite segments for some reason. I guess it was the combo of the quaint town and the interviewees, and the eerie ultimate demise of the Judge.

Honestly, I could see how he apparently continued to skate by even with the sexual impropriety allegations. It's '80s small-town New England and he's a judge. If anyone could keep on slithering, it'd be a guy like that.

I like the quaint town factor too. And it has a minor tie in to another UM case. Bernice Courtemanche was hitchhiking to Newport when she was killed by the Connecticut River Valley killer 4 years prior. I assume the residents were still on edge from the killings while Fairbanks was robbing investors.

In regards to Fairbanks, I'm kind of curious to know if there were any quotes from family members in response to his shady behavior. It was mentioned in the segment that he had a wife and kids, who were probably grown at this time. That's a ton of bombshells to find out if they were completely in the dark for all those years.

Just saw this JJF segment. What a shady, crooked piece of garbage. It makes me sick when I hear about these so-called "honest" people who have powerful positions/jobs, and use this reputation to rob trusting people of their life savings.

The only saving grave here is that this P.O.S. had to flee town (due to his illegal activities being found out), and ending up offing himself. Good riddance. Glad he saved the tax-payers the cost of a lengthy, expensive trial - when he probably would have gotten a slap on the wrist, anyway.

The LE officer interviewed in this case (the older guy with glasses) was obviously giving JJF the benefit of the doubt & treating him leniently. Because of this, JJF had the chance to skip town.

"That's why the top of your head must look like a camouflaged condom at all times!"

I wonder if the camouflaged condom cap on the actor's head was intentionally symbolic of what the actual judge did to his clients. He ****ed them over, and shoved his head in that culo.

:rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:

"That's why the top of your head must look like a camouflaged condom at all times!"

I wonder if the camouflaged condom cap on the actor's head was intentionally symbolic of what the actual judge did to his clients. He ****ed them over, and shoved his head in that culo.

And I thought your take on Madam Hillary & the SCA (from the Kurt McFall segment) was good :lol::lol::lol::lol:

A couple things that nag me about this case are...

1. How much did the family (in particular the Judge's wive) know in regards to his shady business dealings before he ran off?

2. Why did it take as long as it did for people to figure out he was a thief?

In the segment, Tom Hannigan from the Atty. General's Office is interviewed and he stated once they drove to and looked at the Judge's house in Newport, he immediately estimated that it had to be worth approximately $500,000. That much money, in small town New Hampshire, in the late 80's would have been more than a giant red flag.

An article I found online goes into more detail about the house....

------------------

The Newport home, overlooking the city, came with marble countertops, an imported European kitchen, stone and parquet floors, 3 1/2 bathrooms with marble floors, $40,000 worth of landscaping and three two-car garages. A local realtor, Prunella Anastos, estimated it cost $600,000 to build.

″Nobody builds a house like that in Newport,″ she said. ″It’s the most expensive house in Newport, without a doubt.″

------------------

This combined with the Judge's summer home in Ogunquit, Maine, estimated at $600,000 - $700,000, an expensive area along the ocean, was enough to immediately tell Hannigan that Fairbanks was a thief.

This was a man who was not only a respected pillar of the community but was also lifelong friends with many of the residents of Newport. Did he never have guests over to his fancy home? And did none of them raise an eyebrow to the kind of lifestyle he was living?

I am also having doubts that his wife and possibly his four grown kids were completely in the dark about what he was doing. It would be stretching it for them to believe the Newport home. But there's no way he could have convincingly lied about the summer home (mansion) in Maine and how he was able to afford that. Nobody could be THAT much in denial or blind to what was going on.

Once both properties were sold, Fairbanks' victims only received 21 cents for every dollar that was stolen from them.

A couple things that nag me about this case are...

1. How much did the family (in particular the Judge's wive) know in regards to his shady business dealings before he ran off?

2. Why did it take as long as it did for people to figure out he was a thief?

In the segment, Tom Hannigan from the Atty. General's Office is interviewed and he stated once they drove to and looked at the Judge's house in Newport, he immediately estimated that it had to be worth approximately $500,000. That much money, in small town New Hampshire, in the late 80's would have been more than a giant red flag.

An article I found online goes into more detail about the house....

------------------

The Newport home, overlooking the city, came with marble countertops, an imported European kitchen, stone and parquet floors, 3 1/2 bathrooms with marble floors, $40,000 worth of landscaping and three two-car garages. A local realtor, Prunella Anastos, estimated it cost $600,000 to build.

″Nobody builds a house like that in Newport,″ she said. ″It’s the most expensive house in Newport, without a doubt.″

------------------

This combined with the Judge's summer home in Ogunquit, Maine, estimated at $600,000 - $700,000, an expensive area along the ocean, was enough to immediately tell Hannigan that Fairbanks was a thief.

This was a man who was not only a respected pillar of the community but was also lifelong friends with many of the residents of Newport. Did he never have guests over to his fancy home? And did none of them raise an eyebrow to the kind of lifestyle he was living?

I am also having doubts that his wife and possibly his four grown kids were completely in the dark about what he was doing. It would be stretching it for them to believe the Newport home. But there's no way he could have convincingly lied about the summer home (mansion) in Maine and how he was able to afford that. Nobody could be THAT much in denial or blind to what was going on.

Once both properties were sold, Fairbanks' victims only received 21 cents for every dollar that was stolen from them.

With regards to why people didn't figure Fairbanks out immediately, all I can think to say is that this was the 80s and people didn't have instant access to information at their fingertips. Even after finding out he had these two huge homes, connecting those dots wouldn't have been as quick and/or easy as it is nowadays.

With regards to why people didn't figure Fairbanks out immediately, all I can think to say is that this was the 80s and people didn't have instant access to information at their fingertips. Even after finding out he had these two huge homes, connecting those dots wouldn't have been as quick and/or easy as it is nowadays.

This, and I'd bet that he was running something of a quasi-pyramid scheme. When one person would question something and if they didn't buy his immediate excuse, he'd use another client's funds, and shift the money around so that everyone thought they were whole.

You are correct, however, that it was far easier to do back in the 80's than today. You had to rely on those paper statements then whereas now, you can login and check the value of your account daily.

With regards to why people didn't figure Fairbanks out immediately, all I can think to say is that this was the 80s and people didn't have instant access to information at their fingertips. Even after finding out he had these two huge homes, connecting those dots wouldn't have been as quick and/or easy as it is nowadays.

It's the home issue that just seems like a giant red flag to me. If he was a judge who only saw the people of Newport in the courthouse, that would be one thing. But he had long histories with so many of the residents that went back a lifetime. For example, the husband of one of the women he stole half a million dollars from grew up with Fairbanks. He had to have visitors over to his house. And if this is the kind of house that "you just don't build in Newport," as that realtor said, I would think one of these life long friends would look at that place and privately wonder how he was able to afford it.

Maybe it's possible that these were just small town folk who assumed a judge could afford a lifestyle like that. But I doubt that nobody at least raised an eyebrow.

There were warning signs about Fairbanks that he was able to avoid years earlier. It's assumed that he might have started stealing money as early as the 1950's.

Someone recently uploaded the 'America's Most Wanted' version of the Judge Fairbanks case to YouTube. Although, unlike the UM segment, they make quick references to the allegations of the judge enjoying sex with young boys and going out at night dressed like a woman? :crazy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qETTgg2oE1w

Someone recently uploaded the 'America's Most Wanted' version of the Judge Fairbanks case to YouTube. Although, unlike the UM segment, they make quick references to the allegations of the judge enjoying sex with young boys and going out at night dressed like a woman? :crazy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qETTgg2oE1w

https://c.tenor.com/Xu-zJrPOOewAAAAC/elmo-faint.gif

WOW. Had no idea about any of that.

Thank you for posting this! It was also pretty cool to see a bunch of interviewees from the UM segment.

Someone recently uploaded the 'America's Most Wanted' version of the Judge Fairbanks case to YouTube. Although, unlike the UM segment, they make quick references to the allegations of the judge enjoying sex with young boys and going out at night dressed like a woman? :crazy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qETTgg2oE1w

Was that meant to be rumor and innuendo or a legit fact?

Was that meant to be rumor and innuendo or a legit fact?

Going out dressed like a woman was only mentioned by AMC. But the allegations of him engaging in acts with young boys/men in exchange for lighter sentences was also mentioned in a magazine article about the case in 1999.

It's been denied by committee members but I don't think it's something that can or cannot be proven or disproven.

Here's the article...

https://www.gnbtaxpayers.com/FAIRBANKS,%20JOHN,%20JUDGE%20-%20SCANDAL%20&%20COVER-UP.pdf

Going out dressed like a woman was only mentioned by AMC. But the allegations of him engaging in acts with young boys/men in exchange for lighter sentences was also mentioned in a magazine article about the case in 1999.

It's been denied by committee members but I don't think it's something that can or cannot be proven or disproven.

Here's the article...

https://www.gnbtaxpayers.com/FAIRBANKS,%20JOHN,%20JUDGE%20-%20SCANDAL%20&%20COVER-UP.pdf

Edited to add: Giving the AMC episode another watch, it's brought up that when John Tweedy discovered there was $30,000 missing from his brother's estate, he first went to the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and filed a complaint looking for help. His complaint was immediately dismissed as almost irrelevant. Thomas Hannigan of the Attorney General (also interviewed in the UM segment) told Tweedy that if the judge stole anything, he didn't steal much.

Then Hannigan says himself; "Well, if he was stealing from Tweedy, he wasn't a really good thief in my book because there wasn't that much money there to begin with."

Way to completely miss the point. So stealing money is only a serious crime when it happens to richer people?

The only reason other victims of Fairbanks came forward when they did was because Tweedy complained to the press, since he was convinced the system was covering for Fairbanks.

Edited to add: Giving the AMC episode another watch, it's brought up that when John Tweedy discovered there was $30,000 missing from his brother's estate, he first went to the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and filed a complaint looking for help. His complaint was immediately dismissed as almost irrelevant. Thomas Hannigan of the Attorney General (also interviewed in the UM segment) told Tweedy that if the judge stole anything, he didn't steal much.

Then Hannigan says himself; "Well, if he was stealing from Tweedy, he wasn't a really good thief in my book because there wasn't that much money there to begin with."

Way to completely miss the point. So stealing money is only a serious crime when it happens to richer people?

The only reason other victims of Fairbanks came forward when they did was because Tweedy complained to the press, since he was convinced the system was covering for Fairbanks.

I just watched the AMW segment for the first time. Man, Tweedy was on fire in that episode! You could tell he was pissed. I'd love to know how he reacted after the judge was found dead.