SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A private consultant in Oregon was indicted this week in connection with a widening corruption scandal that already has ensnared a former Oregon Department of Energy manager.
The 78-count indictment against Martin Shain includes allegations of bribery, racketeering, theft and tax evasion, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported (https://bit.ly/2sJU42h ). The indictment comes two days after the former agency manager, Joe Colello, pleaded guilty to accepting $291,017 in kickbacks.
The 60-year-old Shain was both a consultant on energy projects and a tax credit broker. Prosecutors accuse the Seattle-based businessman of sending cashier’s checks to Colello on more than 50 occasions during a period of 2 ½ years.
In return, Colello said he helped Shain arrange the sale of tax credits the agency issued to developers and owners of renewable energy and conservation projects.
Shain was arraigned Friday in Marion County Circuit Court. On his way out of court, Shain said he had no comment then stopped briefly. “My life has been ruined,” he said. “I lost everything.”
His lawyer, Jim McDermott, said Shain denies being a part of any racketeering enterprise. Shain also denies bribing any government officials, McDermott said.
The indictment listed 29 witnesses, including state officials, tax credit recipients, project developers, accountants and others.
Shain was previously indicted in August 2016 on charges of forging documents to improperly obtain nearly $12 million in energy tax credits to support the construction of solar arrays at Oregon State University and the Oregon Institute of Technology.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, https://www.oregonlive.com
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