Keith Fitzgerald was convicted on five counts of theft by unauthorized taking.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Former Tenney Mountain Chief Operating Officer Keith Fitzgerald has been sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison following his conviction on five counts of theft by unauthorized taking. Fitzgerald was convicted earlier this spring of stealing $875,000 from this terminally ill father. Fitzgerald has also been accused of taking money from Tenney Mountain under false pretenses.
Fitzgerald, 51, was sentenced to prison last week by Belknap County Superior Court Judge Larry Smukler. According to Assistant Attorney General Patrick McQueenan, Fitzgerald used the money to fund a 100 acre Center Harbor estate with a helicopter pad and to set up a fake charity to purchase two airplanes.
Assistant Attorney General Jesse O’Neill labelled Fitzgerald a "liar, a con man, and a scam artist."
In a separate case, Fitzgerald reportedly "conned his way" into becoming Chief Operating Officer of Tenney Mountain Development Group, according to TMDG lawyer James Laura. Laura claims Fitzgerald pocketed a large sum of money and slandered TMDG CEO Bouchard to investors. Fitzgerald later sued TMDG, which reportedly stalled the ambitious project.
Citing the legal issues, Tenney was unable to open its lifts for the 2016-17 season. Snowmaking and grooming did take place, however, and skiers were invited to try the slopes under their own power.
After a noticeable absence of progress videos on Facebook, Tenney Mountain CEO Michael Bouchard resumed posting work videos following Fitzgerald's conviction. A link to an article about Fitzgerald's conviction was recently posted on Tenney's Facebook page with the message, "Friends and family of TEAM TENNEY will appreciate this article below...Truth prevails!"
Located just outside of Plymouth, New Hampshire, Tenney Mountain ski area first opened in 1960. After repeated struggles in recent decades, the 1,400 vertical foot ski area closed in 2010. Bouchard's Tenney Mountain Development Group acquired the property in November of 2014.
