Nathan Edward Welch, 35, of Eustace, Texas, stood before a federal magistrate in Dallas this morning and admitted to fabricating mine safety inspection reports while working as an inspector for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Welch pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in an official writing, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
The charges stem from a string of sham inspections Welch claimed to have conducted between June and July 2016. According to court documents, Welch falsely reported that he completed an on-site inspection at the Dead River Ranch Materials Riesel Sand and Gravel Plant from July 6 to July 11, 2016—despite never traveling to the site or meeting any personnel from the operation. The report was entirely fabricated.
That wasn’t the only lie. Welch also falsified at least three additional inspection reports. He claimed to have inspected the Big Sandy Sand Company North Pit in Hawkins, Texas, on July 12, 2016; the Cedar Creek Stone Mine in Groesbeck, Texas, on June 1, 2016; and the Trinity Lightweight Expanded Shale and Clay Plant in Streetman, Texas, between June 23 and June 30, 2016. In each case, he never showed up.
Instead, Welch copied field notes and report formats from earlier, legitimate inspections, hand-copying details to create the illusion of compliance. The deception allowed mines to operate under the false pretense of federal oversight while potentially endangering workers’ lives. Safety inspections are critical to preventing cave-ins, explosions, and toxic exposure—failures can be fatal.
As part of his plea agreement, Welch agreed to resign or retire from MSHA within five calendar days of entering his guilty plea and has permanently barred himself from seeking any future employment with the U.S. government. Sentencing is scheduled for March 8, 2017, before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan.
The case was investigated by the DOL Office of Inspector General (OIG), underscoring growing scrutiny over federal enforcement integrity. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting the case. The admission throws a harsh light on internal oversight failures within a program designed to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable workers.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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