Tom Martino

On December 21, 2013, Martino was arrested by the Denver police for investigation of disturbing the peace and domestic violence. The assault charge was dropped due to a lack of evidence. He did not contest the charge of disturbing the peace and accepted that conviction. All arrest records, charges, and convictions have been expunged from his record.

Martino brought his consumer advocacy to television, first at several stations in the Eastern United States. In Denver, he spent 18 years at CBS station KCNC-TV. His most recent television position was with Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate KDVR in Denver, which dropped his show from the schedule in 2011.

On September 2, 2011, Tom Martino filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. He had borrowed heavily to invest in real estate, and became insolvent when real estate prices dropped. Martino said that he owed about $36 million, although his creditors put the figure at $78 million. The filing was contested when some creditors accused Martino of improperly transferring property into his wife's name, which he denied. After a thorough investigation, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court dismissed the lawsuit tied to Martino's personal bankruptcy and lawyers from First Citizens Bank & Trust acknowledged, "no fraud or false pretenses" on Martino's behalf. After a series of court proceedings, the bankruptcy was settled in March 2013. The only debt included in Martino's bankruptcy filing were real estate business loans. All personal debt was paid before or shortly after his bankruptcy.

Martino also began Liberty Bell Telecom, a telecommunications company, and sold it to Dish Network in 2010.

On April 24, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion affirming the dismissal of a libel suit brought against Martino by an Oregon watercraft dealer. A customer of the dealer had called Martino's show to describe the problems she had with a personal watercraft that she bought from the dealer, and in the course of the on-the-air conversation, Martino said "they're just lying to you." The dealer sued Martino for libel and interference with business relations. The federal district court in Portland granted Martino's anti-SLAPP motion, dismissed the dealer's case, and awarded attorney fees to Martino against the dealer. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court, saying that Martino's statement was a statement of opinion protected by the First Amendment. Gardner v. Martino, Ninth Circuit No. 06-35437 (April 24, 2009).

Martino's career began at the Catskill Daily Mail, a newspaper in his native New York, where he wrote a consumer-oriented column. In 1976, he began working in radio and television. He continued to write columns for the Rocky Mountain News, but now writes columns only for his own website.

Thomas Gerard "Tom" Martino (born 1953) is a consumer advocate and American talk radio host. He is also known as "The Troubleshooter". His nationally syndicated show "The Troubleshooter Show" airs from KHOW, based in Denver, Colorado. His show format focuses on callers who give him specific complaints about businesses; ask general consumer oriented questions; or have various problems they need help solving. He also provides business and consumer advice to listeners. Martino investigates the complaints by contacting the other party in disputes when possible; he then gives advice and solicits comments from callers. The show began more than 38 years ago and was syndicated nationally around 2001. Martino says that over the years, he has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, merchandise, and services for consumers who contact him.