Railroad employee faces new charges for thefts from BNSF

A former Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad employee accused of stealing from his employer has been summoned to appear in Douglas County Circuit Court to face more than a dozen felony theft charges.

The summons and complaint for Gary Lynn Amys, 54, of Poplar were filed Thursday in the Clerk of Courts Office. He faces 13 felony counts of identity theft, one felony theft count and two misdemeanor counts of credit fraud. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint:

Amys purchased items for personal use with railroad customer charge accounts and credit cards over a number of years. The dollar amount of the thefts was calculated at more than $50,000. Some purchases dated back to 2007 and continued through July 2011. Many of the things purchased were home improvement items such as sinks, a garage heater, lumber, a boiler, light fixtures and a number of toilets, which were located when authorities searched the Poplar homes of Amys, his son and his daughter. Some items were also found in Amys’ Solon Springs cabin. Other things purchased through railroad accounts were for personal vehicles. They included a truck radio, marine battery, sparkplugs and small engine parts.

Amys is also accused of borrowing a tamper from BNSF in the summer of 2010 and not returning it as of August 2011. The machine, which is used to prepare a site for pouring a concrete was valued at $3,000.

When questioned by police, Amys admitted to using a railroad credit card to purchase fuel from a local convenience store for his personal vehicles in June 2011.

Criminal charges of identity theft and credit fraud were filed against Amys in August 2011. At the time he was accused of using a railroad credit card and account to purchase fuel for a personal vehicle and goods from a local building materials store. Three weeks later, Assistant District Attorney Ruth Kressel requested that the charges be dismissed without prejudice, which means the prosecutor has the opportunity to file charges again. The incidents were referenced in the 2011 criminal complaint are among the charges in the new criminal complaint.

Tags: news, courts, crime, money, family