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Fraud

Kentucky Mine Manager Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud MSHA

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A former mine manager in Kentucky has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regarding an underground fire at the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, in August 2021. Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, entered a guilty plea to conspiring to defraud MSHA, acknowledging that he and others failed to evacuate miners or notify the agency when the fire was detected. The fire was initially ignited by a cutting torch on August 12, 2021, and was not extinguished within the required 10 minutes. Instead, Parsons and conspirators agreed to continue mining coal while attempting to fight the fire ad hoc over the course of three shifts, without notifying MSHA. The mine was eventually evacuated on August 13, 2021, after an anonymous tip was received by MSHA.

Key Takeaways:

  • Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, of Louisa, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) in relation to an underground fire at the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois.
  • The fire was ignited by a cutting torch used to cut collapsed steel beams on August 12, 2021, and was not extinguished within the required 10 minutes.
  • Parsons and conspirators agreed to continue mining coal while attempting to fight the fire ad hoc over the course of three shifts, without notifying MSHA.
  • The mine was eventually evacuated on August 13, 2021, after an anonymous tip was received by MSHA.
  • Members of the conspiracy did not wear tracking devices designed to track the underground location of miners and made false entries in mine records.
  • Parsons faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000.
  • A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
  • Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. S. Johnson of the FBI's Springfield Field Office made the announcement.

Statistics:

  • The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) received an anonymous tip about the fire on August 13, 2021.
  • The mine was evacuated on August 13, 2021, after MSHA confirmed the existence of the fire.
  • Members of the conspiracy re-entered the mine on two occasions without MSHA's permission to assess the fire and manipulate the conditions underground.
  • The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and FBI investigated the case.
  • Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD's Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Burke for the Southern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.

Sources:

  • United States Attorneys General
  • Timothy Brandon Parsons, 38, of Louisa, Kentucky.

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