A former PennDOT Executive has plead guilty to accepting bribes for State contracts.
Nicholas Martino, 53, of Penn View Lane, Norristown was charged in June 2018 for accepting money from an unidentified PennDOT contractor.
Martino was sentenced to 9 to 23 months house arrest, a $10,000 fine and 50 hours of community service.
In exchange for the money over an eight-year period, Martino continued the contractor’s existing contracts with PennDOT, even when the contractor didn’t perform the work they were committed to do.
“This state employee played with taxpayer money in order to get a payout for himself,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “He accepted bribes and knowingly allowed a contractor to not perform their work under their contract with state government. No one is above the law – and my Office will continue prosecuting corruption and holding public officials accountable.”
The investigation started in 2013, when the Office of Attorney General agents got a tip about corruption in the Southeast Pennsylvania office of PennDOT.
A witness gave evidence against Martino, who oversaw general maintenance and roadside management programs when he served as Assistant District Executive for PennDOT’s District Six from 2006 to 2014.
A Bucks County inspector was even fired for refusing to approve the work that the contractor did not perform.
“PennDOT employees from top to bottom work very hard each day to earn the trust of the people of Pennsylvania,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards. “We do not tolerate any activity that undermines that trust and, as in this case, when we learn of illegal activity within our ranks, we work immediately to root it out.”