Former Tulsa Public Works Official Pleads Guilty

Acting United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward announced that a former City of Tulsa official pled guilty today in federal court in Tulsa to public corruption charges before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Paul Cleary.

Albert S. Martinez, age 48, formerly the Field Engineering Manager at the Tulsa Public Works Department, pled guilty to bribery conspiracy, mail fraud conspiracy and procurement fraud. Martinez agreed to pay the City of Tulsa restitution in the amount of  $341,000. Martinez admitted that he conspired with others to defraud the Citizens of Tulsa of his honest services and accept bribes. Martinez also admitted to accepting bribes from a local construction company through a scheme involving the submission of inflated invoices. Additionally, Martinez admitted he accepted a $10,000 bribe to influence him in the approval of city contracts.

Martinez is the second defendant to plead guilty in this public corruption case. Sentencing for Martinez is set for December 1, 2009, after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. He faces a prison sentence of up to 35 years and a fine of $750,000.

U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern is presiding in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clinton J. Johnson, Joseph F. Wilson and Catherine J. Depew are prosecuting for the government. The investigation was undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division.