Summary

On April 4, 2014, Edna Stoner, a former Acuren Inspection, Inc. Level II Radiograph Technician, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Urbana, Illinois, to 3 years probation and ordered to pay a $5,400 fine for submitting false statements on documentation associated with pipeline safety testing.

Stoner was responsible for conducting non-destructive testing (NDT) of pipeline welds and interpreting and reporting the results of tests on a portion of the Rockies Express Pipeline. The results of the NDT included the weld numbers, whether the pipeline weld radiographs (a type of x-ray) were acceptable or rejected, and other technical data about the process. The results were recorded on reader sheets which were maintained by the pipeline owner as required by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Stoner falsely stated on reader sheets that all pipeline welds had been radiographed and tested at the compressor station in Blue Mound, Illinois, when they had not. Stoner also mislabeled the radiograph film to give the impression that multiple pipeline welds had been radiographed when she had only tested one. 

This investigation was conducted with the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Crimes Section, with assistance from PHMSA.