Staff reports 8:44 a.m.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 8:44 am

CONCORD - A Salem man pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to wire fraud, the U.S. Attorneys office announced.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Michael Rosa, 62, defrauded New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES), which administers the unemployment insurance program in New Hampshire.

In March 2020, Congress passed legislation providing additional unemployment benefits to individuals who lost their jobs because of the economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Rosa controlled several companies located in Plaistow, including Enviromart and KSC Industrial.

In late March 2020, Rosa and his co-defendant, George Adyns, directed company employees to file for unemployment benefits with NHES while continuing to work. This caused the unemployment system to effectively pay the employees' salaries. As a result, NHES paid out almost $50,000 in fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits.

Rosa is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10.

Adyns previously pled guilty on May 25, 2022 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 15.