Former Tulsa Public Works Official Receives Prison Sentence in Bribery Case

Acting United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward announced that a former City of Tulsa Public Works official was sentenced in federal court today.

Albert S. Martinez, age 48, formerly the Field Engineering Manager at the Tulsa Public Works Department, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern to 42 months’ confinement in federal prison and was ordered to make restitution to the City of Tulsa in the amount of $341,000. To date, Martinez has forfeited assets in the amount of $217,000. On August 28, 2009, Martinez pled guilty to charges of Bribery Conspiracy, Mail Fraud Conspiracy and Procurement Fraud. He admitted he conspired to defraud the Citizens of Tulsa of his honest services and accepted bribes. Martinez also admitted he accepted bribes from a local construction company in return for approving inflated invoices and from several local contractors in return for favorable influence during the approval of city contracts. Martinez is the third defendant to be sentenced to federal prison in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clinton J. Johnson, Joseph F. Wilson and Catherine J. Depew prosecuted the case for the government. This public corruption scandal involving the Tulsa Public Works Department was first revealed to the public on January 22, 2009, when the federal indictments were unsealed and an announcement was made at a news conference by former U.S. Attorney David E. O’Meilia, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge James E. Finch, and IRS Criminal Investigations Division Special Agent-in-Charge Michael P. Lahey. They jointly announced at that time that two former managers at the City of Tulsa Public Works Department and four area businessmen were charged by a Grand Jury for their participation in bribery and fraud schemes involving millions of dollars intended for city streets, bridges and other public works projects in the City of Tulsa. Since that announcement all six defendants that were charged have pled guilty and three have been sentenced to federal prison. The remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced over the next several months.