Feds say man posed as mine electrician - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Feds say man posed as mine electrician

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) -

An eastern Kentucky man has been indicted in federal court for posing as a mine electrician while working at a Letcher County underground mine.

An indictment in U.S. District Court in Pikeville says James A. Cress was working for the Cumberland River Coal Company at the Blue Ridge No. 1 Mine as an electrician from May 2009 to July 2010. It says Cress presented himself to the company as a certified electrician though he was not.

Cress, of Totz in Harlan County, is facing 19 counts for violations of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Act. The indictment says he initialed record books indicating he had examined or tested equipment at the mine.

Cress is facing up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines if convicted on the charges.