Former CEO of Courtesy Patrol sentenced for committing bankruptcy fraud

BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) –  Former CEO Robert Martin , 67, of Beckley, was sentenced to five years of federal probation and ordered to pay $205,802.49 in restitution for dishonestly taking money from a bankrupt company he led.

Martin was the CEO of the company that operated the West Virginia Courtesy Patrol. He admitted to paying himself without permission. The company, Citizens Conservation Corp (CCC), went bankrupt in 2019 after losing a multimillion-dollar contract with the State of West Virginia.

Despite the company’s financial difficulties, Martin transferred funds from the company’s account to his own and paid himself without getting approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court .

The former CEO also confessed to mishandling funds received from the United States Department of Interior National Park Service (NPS). Instead of using the funds to hire and pay interns, as intended, he misspent the money.

Martin’s ordered restitution includes payments to the Bankruptcy Estate of CCC and the U.S. Department of Interior National Park Service. He paid the amount owed to the Bankruptcy Estate on June 13, 2024.

Jennifer Douglas, CCC’s Chief Operating Officer, also admitted to misspending funds received from NPS and awaits sentencing. The United States Attorney confirmed the serious nature of Martin’s offenses and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Interior-Office of Inspector General (DOI-OIG).

The sentencing was imposed by United States District Judge Frank W. Volk, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson.