18°
Jose Rodriguez, 49, of Brick, will have to serve out the entire sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
Rodriguez had collected 114 chainsaws, 122 chainsaw replacement bars and 222 replacement chains worth more than $76,000 before he was caught, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
He sold the items through online auction and directly to buyers, using the U.S. Postal Service to mail them to purchasers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere in the U.S., the U.S. attorney said.
Federal agents recovered several of the stolen chainsaws and parts thanks, in part, to their serial numbers.
SEE: Feds Charge NJ Amtrak Employee With Stealing, Fencing Chainsaws, Parts
Hired in October 2007, Rodriguez worked as a senior engineer and repairman at Amtrak's North Brunswick facility, authorities said.
Five years later, Rodriguez admitted in federal court, he began gathering equipment under the false pretense that they'd be used for company projects.
Rodriguez was charged in March 2021 with one count of theft from an agency receiving federal funds and one count of theft of government property. Rather than risk trial, he pleaded guilty to mail fraud via videoconference with U.S. District Court Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Newark last December.
SEE: Ex-Amtrak Worker From NJ Admits Stealing, Selling Agency Equipment
In addition to the prison term, Quraishi sentenced Rodriguez to three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered restitution of $76,379 and forfeiture of $53,381.
Sellinger credited detectives from the Amtrak Police New York Division and Mid-Atlantic Division and special agents from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General with the investigation leading to the plea and sentencing, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Faye Schwartz of his Special Prosecutions Division and Cari Fais, chief of the Criminal Division’s Opioids Unit.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Newark and receive free news updates.
