Former OSHA Assistant Director in El Paso Sentenced

United States Attorney Johnny Sutton announced that Mario Martin Solano, Jr., former Area Assistant Director for the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) in El Paso, Texas, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to accept bribes.

Solano was also ordered to pay $29,868.00 in restitution, a $100.00 special assessment and will serve two years of supervised release after completing his prison term. He will report to prison on July 5, 2006.

“Mr. Solano betrayed the people he was supposed to serve,” stated U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. “Today, his greed landed him in federal prison. The United States Attorney’s Office will root out and prosecute public corruption whenever and wherever we find it.”

In 2002, as part of his job, Solano directed employers seeking to reduce their OSHA fines to a company being run by co-defendant Jose Campos for employee job related training. In return for these training referrals, Solano collected approximately $30,000 from Campos. Elias Casillas, an OSHA employee under Solano and Campos’ former step-son, found and referred offending companies to Solano and also received money from Campos for such referrals. On Jan. 6, 2006, Campos and Casillas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay a gratuity.

Campos and Casillas were also sentenced to one year and four years probation, respectively.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General and U.S. Army – Criminal Investigation Division at Ft. Bliss, Texas. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys William Lewis and J. Brandy Gardes.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office