The Meat House Co-Owner Pleads Guilty to Not Paying Vets Charity

The co-owner of a franchised butcher shop that abruptly closed operations about a year ago has pled guilty to misapplication of property for not paying a charity tens of thousands of dollars.

Justin Rosberg, the co-owner of The Meat House, pled guilty on Jan. 29, 2015, in 10th Circuit Court in Seabrook to one count of misapplication of property.

According to the case, The Meat House held a charitable event for the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s Chaplain Emergency Relief Fund in July 2013, and then failed to pay the charity the money that was raised.

Rosberg was sentenced to 12 months in jail but all of the sentence will be served as suspended for two years on condition that he pays $13,882.21 to the charity. He is required to make the first restitution payment within the month and then monthly payments. Rosberg must also submit proof of the payment to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.

Jason Parent, the other co-owner, was indicted last month by a Rockingham County Grand Jury for felony theft and a single count of misapplication of property for not paying the charity.

According to press reports, about $40,000 was collected for the charity.

Success and failure

After opening stores and franchising in 2003, the sky seemed to be the limit for the New Hampshire startup.

However, troubles for the chain appeared in late 2013-early 2014 when American Express filed suit in court seeking more than $200,000 in unpaid credit card balances, according to press reports.

The owners of the chain were sued later by investors in January 2014, for $350,000 plus interest for breaching a repayment agreement.

In February 2014, a number of The Meat House locations around the state closed leaving only “closed for renovations” signs in their wake but the owners said the closures had nothing to do with the lawsuits.

The chain had corporate locations in Amherst, Bedford, a counter in a Dover store, Pembroke, Portsmouth, Exeter/Stratham, and Scarborough, Maine, as well as numerous franchises across the country.

Other lawsuits followed with the startup facing more than $2 million in court claims, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

A number of the locations outside of New England that are franchises appear to be performing well, according to press reports.

In June 2014, according to WMUR-TV, new owners took over the shops in Bedford and Pembroke.

Justin Rosberg, left, and Jason Parent, the co-owners of The Meat House. File photo.