BRICK – A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison from stealing chainsaws and chainsaw parts from his employer Amtrak and selling them for profit, officials said.
Jose Rodriguez, 49, of Brick, previously pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.
Since October 2007, Rodriguez has been an Amtrak employee and most recently was a senior engineer and repairman, based out of an Amtrak facility in North Brunswick.
According to officials, Rodriguez obtained about 114 chainsaws, 122 chainsaw replacement bars and 222 replacement chains from Amtrak between March 2012 and July 2020, totaling to over $76,000. Rodriguez acquired these items claiming that this equipment would be used for Amtrak projects, but instead sold it either on an online auction service or directly to purchasers.
Rodriguez would mail the stolen chainsaw and chainsaw parts to purchasers throughout the United States, officials said.
In addition to the prison term, Rodriguez was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered restitution of $76,379 and forfeiture of $53,381.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited detectives from Amtrak Police New York Division and Mid-Atlantic Division, under the direction of Chief Sam Dotson, and special agents from Amtrak Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Waters, Eastern Field Office, with the investigation leading to the sentencing
