Former PennDOT Executive Charged in Corruption Scheme
On June 4, 2018, a State criminal complaint filed in Montgomery County Magisterial District Court 38-1-25, Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, charged Nicholas Martino with one felony count of accepting improper influence under the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act. It is alleged he played a role in a corruption and bribery scheme that affected 27 federally funded maintenance and construction contracts in Pennsylvania.
Martino was formerly an assistant district executive at PennDOT’s District 6. He is alleged to have taken monetary kickbacks from a PennDOT contractor, over many years, in exchange for looking the other way regarding work that the contractor had not performed as contractually required. Martino is also alleged to have helped fire a project inspector who refused to state that the same contractor had performed the work.
These charges are part of a long-running investigation into allegations of corruption at PennDOT District 6, where 13 other individuals have admitted to a variety of criminal charges, including fraud, bribery, kickbacks and bid-rigging.
DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
Note: Indictments, informations, and criminal complaints are only accusations by the Government. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.