Former President of Kentucky-Based Glass Company Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

Dennis Martin, former president of Central Kentucky Glass (CKG), pleaded guilty Monday to a federal wire-fraud charge, agreeing to a 27-month prison sentence in addition to paying the federal government more than $74,000 in restitution.

Martin, 51, admitted to forging certifications in 2008 from two testing companies, Bowser-Morner Inc., and National Certified Testing Laboratories, “which falsely reflected that CKG’s glass and windows had been tested and met contract requirements,” according to court documents.

CKG had been hired as a subcontractor by contractor Barton Malow—which had been contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers—to provide and install glass and windows at Fort Knox High School in Hardin County, Ky.

CKG’s contract required that it provide certifications from testing companies to prove the glass and windows met certain standards, including antiterrorism standards.

According to court documents, on October 22, 2008, “the forged certifications were faxed from CKG’s office in Kentucky to Barton Malow’s office in Ohio. In fact, CKG’s glass and windows had not been tested per the specifications of the contract, and subsequent tests conducted on behalf of the Army Corps of Engineers indicated that the glass and windows CKG installed at Fort Knox High School did not meet antiterrorism standards.”

In addition to his incarceration, Martin’s plea agreement also includes three years of supervised release.

In a separate indictment, CKG is facing charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and “fraud against the United States in the [procurement] of property as a subcontractor and supplier on a contract with a value over $1 million,” according to court documents. That case, which is also being handled in the U.S. District Court’s Western District of Kentucky with the United States of America as a plaintiff, had its June 16 plea hearing canceled. A telephonic further proceedings/status conference for the latter case is set for August 1.

Court documents also state Barton Malow and CKG are involved in a civil proceeding “and that Barton Malow’s loss arising from the conduct herein has been resolved.”