Former WVDEP Official admits to stealing abandoned mine lands funds

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVVA) - A former employee with by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is pleading guilty to charges to stealing nearly one hundred thousand dollars in federal funds. The monies were intended for sub-grants for remediation of abandoned mine lands. 54-year-old Jerry D. Elkins of Danville, West Virginia entered that plea in U.S. District Court Friday, June 2, 2023. Elkins was hired as a regional planner for the DEP.

Court documents indicate Elkins and a person identified as A.K. , with Elkins help, applied for and obtained the sub grants. Elkins set up a Shell company and provided bogus invoices, enabling him to siphon off $94, 197.99.

Elkins is scheduled to be sentenced on October 12, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Elkins also owes $94,197.93 in restitution.