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New Hampshire Bussinessman Jay Lucas
- NH Muckraker
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
I knew Jay Lucas. He wrapped himself in the language of civic virtue, philanthropy, and “doing good.” He played the role of benefactor, community booster, and public-minded leader. And all the while, federal prosecutors now say he was allegedly running a $50 million Ponzi scheme—lying to investors, laundering money, and enriching himself behind a carefully curated façade of goodwill.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Lucas allegedly spent years deceiving people by claiming their money would support early-stage health and wellness ventures. Instead, prosecutors say it was siphoned off to fund personal expenses, political consultants, luxury travel, vanity media projects, and a luxury skincare business run by his wife—all while new investor money was allegedly used to prop up earlier investors in classic Ponzi fashion.
This wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t mismanagement. It was allegedly systematic deception.
The same man who postured as a small-town savior—buying newspapers, launching nonprofits, and branding himself as a Main Street champion—now stands accused of leaving unpaid workers, shuttered institutions, and wrecked trust in his wake. The image was charitable. The reality, prosecutors say, was predatory.
And let’s be clear: $50 million doesn’t just vanish in a vacuum. Whether directly or indirectly, money of that scale inevitably traces back to pensions, public funds, tax-advantaged investments, and ordinary people who believed the act. Taxpayers are always the ones left holding the bag when these schemes collapse.
Lucas once ran for governor of New Hampshire. He lost to Jeanne Shaheen. But the real loss here is public trust—the kind that gets shredded every time someone cloaks greed in the language of service.
And believe me when I say this: he is not the only one. As of today, he’s just the one who finally got caught.
This isn’t philanthropy gone wrong.
It’s alleged fraud dressed up as virtue.
And it’s revolting.
