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Louisiana Enviromental Cleanup Company and its President Indicted on Three Counts of Mail Fraud

Release Date: 04/10/2003
Contact Information:

John Millet 202 564-7812/[email protected]

(04/10/03) George L. Martin and his company, Latico International Inc., located in Denham Springs, La., were indicted on March 26 in U.S. District Court for Louisiana in Baton Rouge, La., on three felony counts of mail fraud. The indictment alleges that on Feb. 28, 1999, March 31, 1999, and Jan. 10, 2000, the defendants submitted bogus invoices to Entergy seeking payment for environmental clean up services for polychlorinated biphenyl contamination, which were never performed. Entergy sent Latigo a check for $114,410.00 to pay the false bill. Failing to perform environmental clean up services can create a public health risk. During the evening hours of March 26, Martin was arrested based on information that he was a flight risk and had been liquidating his assets. If convicted on all charges Martin faces a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison and or a fine of up to $750,000. Latico faces a maximum possible sentence of up to five years probation and/or $1.5 million in fines, if convicted. This case is being jointly investigated by the New Orleans Area Office of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI, with assistance from EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.