HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A Pike County, Ky. man is among those police believe stole an estimated $190,000 worth of material from Norfolk Southern Railroad in Mingo County, W.Va. and took it into Kentucky to sell. He and two other men are now facing federal charges, reports The Appalachian News-Express in its Sunday edition.

The original indictment states that Watson and “other persons, known and unknown, did knowingly conspire to commit offenses against the United States in violation of interstate transportation and sale of stolen railroad tracks.”

According to the complaint, the object of the conspiracy for Watson and his co-conspirators was to enrich themselves by selling railroad tracks and other track material in interstate commerce that they had stolen from the rightful owner.

It alleges the suspects did this by traveling from Kentucky to Mingo County for the purpose of removing and stealing property belonging to the railroad, and taking it across the West Virginia state line to Kentucky to sell. This caused a loss in the amount of approximately $190,000 for the replacement of said railroad property.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr., reports the Appalachian News-Express.