Salem Police Captain Arrested On False Tax Return Charge

SALEM, NH — A Salem police captain was arrested Thursday on a tax fraud charge.

Michael Wagner, 48, of Pelham was arrested Thursday after being indicted on a single charge of filing a false tax return.

Wagner, a captain with the Salem Police Department, is accused of purchasing more than 36 rifles from the Sig Sauer Academy in Epping at a 25 percent police discount between December 2012 and January 2013 and then reselling the rifles for a $33,0000 profit. Wagner, the indictment said, overstated deductions by falsely claiming more than $10,000 in reimbursed expenses for police equipment, ammunition, and firearms, and failed to pay taxes on the $33,000 in his 2013 filing.

The indictment accused Wagner of directing "a subordinate police officer to make a purchase of an assault rifle for him after Sig Sauer stopped giving Wagner the law enforcement discount."

Wagner faces up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000.

Wagner has been on administrative leave since February 2019 not long after the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office opened a criminal investigation into administrators in the department. Town Manager Christopher Dillon said Wagner's annual salary was $114,804 and confirmed he was still on leave. Wagner was hired by the town in July 2000.

Acting Chief of Police Joel Dolan, who was sworn into the acting position during the same time period of Wagner being arrested, did not offer comment on behalf of the department about the case.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the U.S. Department of Justice and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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