Sago Mine Foreman Indicted for False Inspection Reports
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A former Sago Mine foreman was indicted yesterday on federal charges that he falsified inspection reports at the mine in 2004 and was never certified as a miner or mining foreman.
The 116-count indictment against Robert Dennison is not related to the January 2 explosion that led to the deaths of 12 miners.
Mr. Dennison, 35, was hired in May 2004 by the mine’s former owner, Anker Energy, and was fired in August of that year after the company learned he was not certified to do safety inspections, according to the indictment.
“This type of allegedly fraudulent activity has no place in the mining environment, especially when the safety of miners is placed at risk,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Johnston said. If convicted, Mr. Dennison could face up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines for each of 113 counts. He could receive up to five years and $250,000 in fines for each of the remaining counts.
A call to Mr. Dennison’s home in Wallace went unanswered yesterday evening.
On his first inspection form, Mr. Dennison allegedly failed to include his foreman’s certification number. On subsequent inspections, the indictment says, he listed a number that belongs to a foreman who does not know Mr. Dennison.
The indictment,issued by a grand jury in Elkins, also alleges that Mr. Dennison lied to an investigator with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration who questioned him.
