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Former National Park Service Employee Sentenced for Donation Box Theft

James Masters was sentenced to one year of federal probation for stealing approximately $150 from a park donation box, according to court records.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 11:13 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 19h ago

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We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 19, 2026, 5:12 p.m. ET — checked 19h ago.

According to court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, 38-year-old James Masters of Victor was on August 19, 2026, to one year of federal probation and ordered to pay $150 in restitution for theft of government property. Court documents state that between approximately October 2025 and February 2026, Masters was employed by the National Park Service when he stole approximately $150 from a donation box at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in Lansing, Fayette County. As part of a guilty plea, Masters admitted to using his position to take money without authorization on several occasions and covering surveillance cameras to avoid detection. United States Magistrate Judge Dwane L. Tinsley imposed the sentence in federal court under docket number . U.S. Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentence, noting the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Amy L. McLaughlin following an investigation by the National Park Service.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 15:13current

    First published.

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