Surplus military supplies purchased by the Sheriff’s Office were missing
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - A former Monroe County Deputy Sheriff was charged this week by felony Information with wire fraud for devising a scheme to sell and/or give away surplus military property, obtained from a Department of Defense program, including a camper and ATV, announced United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Larry Dale Martin, 34, of Glasgow, Kentucky, was charged Wednesday with a single count of wire fraud. A date for his initial appearance and guilty plea has not been scheduled with the court.
Martin, while a Deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), coordinated the Department of Defense (DoD) 1033 Program and was responsible for making and submitting MCSO’s online DoD Program property requests.
The program authorized the DoD to transfer excess DoD property to law enforcement agencies for “bona fide law enforcement purposes that assist in their arrest and apprehension mission." Under the terms of participation, the MCSO could dispose of or sell, for the MCSO’s benefit, most property obtained from the DoD 1033 Program, one year after it was received.
Between Dec. 31, 2011, and 2014, Martin is charged with devising a scheme, by engaging in wire communications, to order property and arrange for pick-up of property from the Program, which Martin allegedly sold or gave away, for his own personal benefit or the benefit of others, without the knowledge of the MCSO. Property included an industrial ice maker, a 2005 Trail-Lite Dual Axle Camper, and a Kawasaki Mule ATV.
If convicted at trial, Martin could have been sentenced to no more than 20 years in prison, fined $250,000 and served a three year period of supervised release.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Weiser and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Public Integrity Unit.
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The indictment of a person by a Federal Information is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
