FRANKLIN COUNTY, IL. — The U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Friday announced that Timothy Brandon Parsons, the former manager of the MC#1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration in connection with an underground fire that occurred in August 2021.

Parsons, 38, of Louisa, Kentucky, admitted to conspiring to conceal the fire that was ignited on Aug. 12, 2021, when a cutting torch was used to cut collapsed steel beams underground. Court documents state that after the fire could not be extinguished within 10 minutes, Parsons and others agreed not to evacuate miners or notify MSHA, despite gas detectors alerting to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Coal mining continued during informal firefighting efforts over three shifts from Aug. 12 to 13.

The next day, Parsons attempted to hide the fire by ordering a mine evacuation under the false claim that a coal belt was broken. MSHA later received an anonymous tip and confirmed the fire, issuing an evacuation order. Despite this, conspirators re-entered the mine twice without MSHA permission to assess and alter conditions to resume mining. They also failed to wear tracking devices and made false entries in mine records.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. Parsons faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000. A federal judge will determine the sentence after reviewing applicable guidelines and factors.

The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois, Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher J. S. Johnson of the FBI’s Springfield Field Office.

The case was investigated by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI. Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin F. Burke for the Southern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.

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