Coal dust: Former mine managers face fraud trial in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, KY. -- A group of four former coal company officials conspired to cheat federal safety regulations to boost their Kentucky company's profits instead of protecting their workers, federal prosecutors alleged at the start of a criminal fraud trial Monday.
The four men are accused of ordering workers to skirt dust sampling regulations in two of Armstrong Coal's underground mines. The regulations are meant to protect workers against dangerous levels of breathable dust in the air, which can lead to a deadly and incurable disease known as black lung.
The trial is a rare prosecution of coal company officials on criminal charges. Federal regulators typically issue fines and shut down mines when they find safety violations, but in this case prosecutors allege that the men broke the law by conspiring to cheat the rules.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Corrine Keel said during opening statements Monday that the men took “dangerous shortcuts” when they ordered workers to rig dust sampling, including moving dust sampling devices to cleaner parts of the mine to get lower readings. The devices are known commonly in the industry as dust pumps.
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