Prominent highway contractor sentenced in Boise for fraud

BOISE – A highway construction company owner who once led one of Idaho’s most-powerful building groups has been sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution.

Elaine Martin, 67, received the sentence Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boise.

Martin, of Meridian, a former Associated General Contractors president in Idaho, was convicted in September of 22 criminal counts, including filing false tax returns and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. of millions of dollars.

Martin owned highway guardrail installer MarCon Inc., doing work in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill agreed to release Martin from the Ada County Jail for six weeks to take care of medical issues before going to prison. He noted Martin had no previous criminal record, grew up in Jerome, and her entire family lives in the state.

Martin has blamed four company accountants for MarCon’s problems.

“I have no idea where it got out of whack,” Martin said. “It was never my intention to defraud.”

From 1997 to 2008, Martin submitted fraudulent tax returns and financial information to qualify for programs intended to benefit economically disadvantaged companies.

Martin obtained 33 contracts worth more than $14.2 million and with profits of $3.1 million.

Also on Thursday, it was announced that MarCon had recently been sold for $3.1 million, the amount Martin is to pay in forfeiture.