Father, son sentenced for stealing thousands in gas meter rigging scheme

The father and son, who admitted to rigging natural gas meters that allowed them to steal thousands of dollars from two local gas companies, have each been sentenced in federal court. 

Mark Edward Holbrook was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison last Tuesday in U.S. District Court in London. His son, Marshall E. Holbrook, was sentenced to four months in prison last month. Both also received home incarceration requirements, with Mark Holbrook serving two months and Marshall Holbrook serving six months. 

Additionally, upon release from prison, Mark Holbrook will remain under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for two and a half years and Marshall Holbrook will remain under supervision for two years.

The pair pleaded guilty to unlawfully converting more than $1,000 in natural gas from an interstate pipeline system in exchange for plea agreements with prosecutors. Marshall Holbrook entered a guilty plea to his charge late last year. Mark Holbrook entered his plea in January.

The Holbrooks owned and operated Puissant Industries, a company that leased, sold and brokered natural gas for the past 20 years.

According to court records, sometime before 2016, Marshall Holbrook devised a way to manipulate the company’s gas meters in a scheme that they referred to as “propping up the meter.”

He then taught his father how to “prop up the meter,” which the pair continued to do from sometime in January 2016 until at least May 2019.

The manipulation would allow for small, nearly indetectable changes in the way the meter measured gas pressure. As a result, the meters for the entities they serviced would record a higher amount of raw natural gas having flowed from Puissant than what was actually provided.

During the time the meters were being manipulated, Puissant provided natural gas to Delta Natural Gas Company, Inc., which provides natural gas to residential customers in Whitley County, Greystone Equine, LLC and Somerset Gas Service.

As part of their sentencing, Mark Holbrook will be required to pay restitution of $1,207,016 to SGS, and $172,964 to Delta and Marshall Holbrook will be required to pay Delta $239,642 in restitution.

The pair faced up to five years in prison for their charges.

Court records show that Mark Holbrook is required to turn himself over to the Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on July 23, with Marshall Holbrook to follow on July 30.