Woman Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Falsifying Marriage to Claim Late Man’s Estate

New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said Wendy Leedberg-Snow had a fraudulent marriage certificate created following the death of her longtime partner

NEED TO KNOW Wendy Leedberg-Snow, 60, was sentenced after pleading guilty to having a town clerk falsify a marriage certificate so she could obtain property from her late partner's estate New Hampshire's attorney general accused Leedberg-Snow of "[exploiting] the death of a loved one for personal financial gain" Her late partner, Eric Leedberg, died in October 2023 "after a two-year battle with cancer," according to his obituary A New Hampshire woman was sentenced after pleading guilty to having a town clerk falsify a marriage certificate so she could obtain property from her late partner's estate.

Attorney General John M. Formella announced in a press release on July 9 that Wendy Leedberg-Snow, of Nashua, N.H., was sentenced in Cheshire County Superior Court after pleading guilty to charges "stemming from a scheme to create a fraudulent marriage certificate following the death of her longtime partner and to obtain property from his estate." Per the attorney general's office, an investigation determined that after her partner Eric Leedberg's October 2023 death, Leedberg-Snow, 60, turned to a local town clerk to create a fraudulent marriage certificate so she could pose as Leedberg's spouse and lay claim to his property.

The certificate falsely represented that the pair had been married before Leedberg's death. "She subsequently used that false claim to obtain property belonging to Mr. Leedberg's estate," the release states. "During the investigation, Leedberg-Snow also attempted to influence a witness connected to the fraudulent marriage certificate."

A co-defendant, Winchester town clerk Jim Tetreault, previously pleaded guilty to notarial misconduct for his role in falsifying the marriage certificate, per the release. He was sentenced in April 2025 and resigned from his former position as a justice of the peace. Prosecutors said Tetreault later admitted that he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‐Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of the pair ever being married, local newspaper The Lowell Sun reported.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Leedberg-Snow pleaded guilty to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering, per the attorney general's office.

She was sentenced to serve seven days in the House of Corrections, ordered to pay $4,600 in restitution to the victim's trust, and required to return a pickup truck and trailer belonging to Leedberg's estate. Leedberg-Snow was also sentenced to two years of probation upon her release from incarceration. "This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain," Formella said in a statement.

"Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable." The attorney general added, "I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim's family." Leedberg died on Oct. 12, 2023, at age 53 "after a two-year battle with cancer," according to his obituary.

He is survived by his son, parents, grandmother, three brothers and two sisters. Read the original article on People