Shane Senter Sentenced

Jumpcon’s Shane Senter appeared before a judge in Hillsborough County Superior Court (Nashua, NH) to plead guilty to two counts of felony theft and two misdemeanor deceptive business practice charges on November 23.

Through a previously agreed plea bargain he stayed out of jail, receiving four consecutive, 12-month suspended sentences – provided he demonstrates good behavior – and 14 years of probation on the four charges. Four of the years of probation on the two misdemeanor charges are to be concurrent with the 10 years of probation Senter received for the two felony charges. Senter also was ordered to pay $33,824.33 in restitution.

He was also ordered to not own or operate a business that would accept payment “prior to producing promised goods or services.”

Local Nashua fan Skip Morris attended the proceedings and offered these insights to the reporter from the Telegraph:

However, a Nashua resident who works putting on science fiction conventions said he believes Senter intended to pull off the convention, but didn’t have the experience or knowledge to do it.

JumpCon’s Web site had caught the attention of people in the industry who were dumbfounded at how anyone could pull off a full schedule of conventions, said Skip Morris, who attended the hearing because of his interest in the case.

Morris said he believes that Senter thought he could make the conventions happen.

“It was obvious he was trying to succeed but he had no idea of what it actually took,” Morris said.

Morris said he works for a company that sponsors Boston conventions for fans of sci-fi artists and authors rather than television series or movies. Pulling off a successful convention typically requires hard work from a staff of 250 people, he said.

Morris has plentiful and varied conrunning experience. The company he alluded to presumably is Arisia Inc.