Division of Highways Supervisor Indicted on False Statement Charge

ELKINS, WV—A supervisor with the state Division of Highways (DOH) has been charged with making a false statement to a federal agent.

United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, announced that Barry D. Thompson, 48 years old, of Mount Clare, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on one count of false statement to a federal agent. Thompson is charged with making materially false statements last month to an FBI agent who questioned him as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the Equipment Division of the West Virginia Division of Highways. Thompson works as a supervisor at the Buckhannon office of the DOH.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and Thompson is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Thompson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if he is convicted. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and his prior criminal history, if any.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John C. Parr and was investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Unit. Agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police, and the State Commission on Special Investigations are leading the inquiry.