Franklin Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Attempted Escape and Witness Tampering

            CONCORD - United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today that Brian Sanborn, 54, of Franklin, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for attempted escape and witness tampering.

           According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 14, 2018, Sanborn called his girlfriend from the Strafford County House of Corrections.  At the time, Sanborn was detained on federal charges related to the distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Sanborn was scheduled to go to federal court the next day, May 15, 2018, to plead guilty.  During the recorded phone call, Sanborn instructed his girlfriend to call his mother and to follow the transport van to and from Strafford on May 15 because “something might fall out of that . . . van and you might need to pick something up.”

            On May 15, 2018, after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine and while being transported back to the Strafford County House of Corrections, Sanborn attempted to escape the transport van by prying open the door to the cage inside the van with a six-inch piece of metal that he had smuggled into the van.  Sanborn’s actions were recorded on video cameras in the van and the deputies transporting Sanborn apprehended him before he could flee.  Sanborn called his mother the next day and said, in a recorded phone call, that he “fell out of the back of the van and will probably be facing escape charges.”

            Another inmate was in the transport van with Sanborn when he attempted to escape.  At Strafford, Sanborn sent the inmate a note that said that Sanborn knew his name and knew that the inmate had a girlfriend and child.  In the note, Sanborn also offered to pay the inmate to keep quiet about what he saw in the van.  The inmate informed Sanborn that he was not interested in Sanborn’s help and wanted nothing to do with the situation.  After this, other inmate associates of Sanborn began to harass the inmate and told him, among other things, that he was a “rat” and threatened to beat him up or kill him.

            Sanborn pleaded guilty to these charges on March 1, 2019.  He previously was sentenced in September to serve 102 months in prison for methamphetamine trafficking.         

            “I am grateful for the fine work of the law enforcement officers whose quick thinking stopped this felon’s escape efforts,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In order to maintain the integrity of the judicial system and promote public safety, we will aggressively prosecute crimes such as witness tampering and escape attempts.” 

            “The outstanding and professional work of the Strafford County Sheriff Deputies to prevent the escape was validated today by the strong sentence sought and secured by the diligent work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Marshal Nick Willard.

            This matter was investigated by the Strafford County Sherriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service.  The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Hunter.

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