Henderson County Man Sentenced for Mail Fraud

TYLER — A Henderson County man has been sentenced to federal prison. Mark Eugene Thomas, 56, of Athens, pleaded guilty March 7 to mail fraud. He was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. Thomas was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,509,169.70.

Federal prosecutors say from 1998 to 2009, Thomas was employed by Argon Medical Devices, Inc. (AMD), an Athens-based manufacturer and supplier of specialty medical products utilized in the areas of cardiology, radiology, and critical care. From 2004 to 2008, Thomas, the Accounting Manager for AMD, provided fraudulent data to AMD’s parent corporation and external auditor to make AMD appear more profitable in order to secure additional capital investments for AMD and the payment of performance incentives for AMD employees, including Thomas. This fraudulent activity resulted in a financial loss of between $1 million and $2.5 million.