Amtrak Worker Sold Railroad Equipment for Years to Line His Pockets, U.S. Says

U.S.|Amtrak Worker Sold Railroad Equipment for Years to Line His Pockets, U.S. Says

For much than 7 years, the authorities said, Jose Rodriguez of Brick, N.J., a elder technologist astatine Amtrak, obtained much than 100 concatenation saws and hundreds of concatenation saw parts from the railroad, claiming helium needed them for assorted work projects.

But instead, according to prosecutors, Mr. Rodriguez, 49, sold the instrumentality either done an online auction work oregon straight to purchasers — and lined his pockets with the proceeds.

On Monday, Mr. Rodriguez pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of message fraud for utilizing the Postal Service to message the instrumentality — which the authorities said was worthy much than $76,000 — to buyers crossed the country, according to the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful New Jersey.

Mr. Rodriguez volition look up to 20 years successful situation and a good of up to $250,000 erstwhile helium is sentenced connected April 19, 2022.

Mr. Rodriguez took “advantage of his relation arsenic a elder technologist astatine Amtrak, to requisition and motion out” the concatenation saws and their parts “upon mendacious pretenses” that the instrumentality would beryllium utilized for Amtrak projects, according to the charging documents.

A lawyer for Mr. Rodriguez did not instantly respond connected Monday nighttime to telephone and email messages seeking comment.

Starting successful March 2012 and continuing done July 2020, prosecutors said, Mr. Rodriguez, who had worked for Amtrak since 2007, obtained 114 concatenation saws, 122 concatenation saw replacement bars and 222 replacement chains from Amtrak.

But alternatively of utilizing the instrumentality for railroad projects, they said, Mr. Rodriguez sold it to buyers crossed the country.

On astatine slightest 5 occasions betwixt 2018 and 2020, tribunal records show, Mr. Rodriguez mailed instrumentality done the Postal Service to buyers successful Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Agents with the Amtrak Office of Inspector General recovered respective of the concatenation saws sold by Mr. Rodriguez, and recovered that they had serial numbers matching Amtrak’s concatenation saws, according to tribunal documents. At slightest 1 of the concatenation saws had been antecedently reported stolen by the railroad service, according to a ailment against Mr. Rodriguez filed successful March.

On respective occasions, agents learned, Mr. Rodriguez contacted a purchaser offering to merchantability concatenation saws oregon parts earlier oregon connected the aforesaid time that helium picked up the instrumentality from Amtrak, according to tribunal documents.

Mr. Rodriguez was arrested connected March 8, 2021, and charged the adjacent time with 1 number of theft from an bureau receiving national funds and 1 number of theft of authorities property. Those charges volition not beryllium pursued arsenic portion of an statement done which helium pleaded blameworthy to message fraud, a spokesperson for the national prosecutor’s bureau said connected Monday.

Amtrak did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Monday night.