Prosecutors say another former water testing lab employee is expected to plead guilty in a false sampling scheme for southern West Virginia coal mines.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that federal court documents filed Thursday show John Brewer reached a proposed plea agreement on one count of falsifying water sample reports.
The former manager at Appalachian Laboratories in Beckley could face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Brewer’s indictment carried a maximum 30 year prison sentence and $1.5 million fine.
Another ex-lab employee, John Shelton, is serving a 21-month prison sentence in a plea deal over faking water reports.
Mike Hissam, an attorney for Appalachian Laboratories, said the lab is shocked and saddened that Brewer claimed wrongdoing, contrary to his claims in the company’s internal investigation.