FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
June 9, 2017
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 2
Alabama Attorney General
AG MARSHALL ANNOUNCES PRISON SENTENCES FOR CORRUPT
FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE GENERAL CONTRACTORS LICENSURE
BOARD ON FELONY ETHICS VIOLATIONS
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall today announced that two
former employees of the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors (GC Board)
each has been sentenced to serve three years in prison for ethics violations and criminal
possession of forged instruments.
Nancy C. Saffo, 52, of Pike Road, and Christy Easterling, 48, of Prattville, each
pleaded guilty in December of 2016 in Montgomery County Circuit Court to one count
of intentionally using her official position for personal gain, a class B felony, and one
count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a class C
felony.
Saffo was sentenced this morning and Easterling was sentenced yesterday. In
addition to their prison sentences, Saffo was ordered to pay a $45,000 fine as well as
$20,000 for Crime Victims Compensation, and Easterling was ordered to pay a $35,000
fine.
“The people of Alabama deserve honest services from their State government.
These defendants breached the public’s trust and have now been held to account
through the hard work of my Special Prosecution Division,” said Attorney General
Marshall. “The court’s imposition of a prison sentence sends a strong message that
violations of the Alabama Ethics Act will not be tolerated.”
The GC Board protects the safety and welfare of all Alabamians by insuring that
general contractors who perform large projects such as schools, hotels, and highways,
meet minimum technical and financial standards. Those who cannot pass the required
competency test, or who do not have the financial ability to reliably engage in large
construction projects, are not issued a license.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
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After receiving information that some individuals had received a GC license
through corruption, despite failing to meet the minimum standards, the Special
Prosecutions Division (SPD) of the Attorney General’s office initiated an investigation.
After a thorough investigation, the SPD determined that on multiple occasions,
defendants Easterling and Saffo, who were licensing specialists at the GC Board, issued
licenses to applicants who were unqualified in exchange for money. To execute the
scheme, the defendants attached forged documents to the applications of the
unqualified recipients. Over the course of the scheme, defendant Easterling received
approximately $32,000 and defendant Saffo received over $60,000. The payments were
made in cash and by checks that were deposited into the defendants’ personal bank
accounts.
The SPD presented evidence of these crimes to a Montgomery County grand jury
in July of 2016, and the defendants were indicted on multiple ethics and forgery charges.
On December 8, 2016, defendants Easterling and Saffo both pleaded guilty in a
Montgomery County Circuit Court to one felony count of use of official position for
personal gain and one felony count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the
second degree.
Attorney General Marshall praised those involved in bringing this case to a
successful conclusion, noting in particular Assistant Attorney General Katie Langer and
Special Agents of his Special Prosecutions Division. He also thanked the Alabama GC
Board for its cooperation in the investigation.
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