Railroad worker steals hundreds of chainsaws, parts from Amtrak, feds say

An Amtrak worker in New Jersey has pleaded guilty to stealing $76,000 in chainsaws and chainsaw parts from the railroad over an eight-year span, federal prosecutors say.

The 49-year-old Brick resident, who had worked for Amtrak since 2007, ordered 114 chainsaws, 122 chainsaw replacement bars, and 222 replacement chains between 2012 and 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey said in a news release.

The products, worth $76,000, were purportedly meant for Amtrak projects but the worker, a senior engineer and repairman, instead resold them online or directly to buyers, officials said..

He mailed the purloined chainsaws and chainsaw parts across the nation using the U.S. Postal Service, the release said.

The man pleaded guilty to mail fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison plus a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in April, prosecutors said.

This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Railroad worker steals hundreds of chainsaws, parts from Amtrak, feds say."