Ex-LIRR Worker Pleads Guilty To Falsifying Report Pre-Derailment: Feds

SPEONK, NY — A former Long Island Rail Road employee who was accused of falsifying an inspection report before a 2019 derailment in Speonk —that brought service to a screeching halt on Memorial Day weekend— has pleaded guilty, federal officials said Friday.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, on Friday, Stuart Conklin, 66, of Magnolia, Texas, a former LIRR employee, pleaded guilty to making a false entry in a report required to be kept by the LIRR under federal laws governing railroad safety and operations.

Conklin was charged with the offense in a criminal complaint in March 2021, and subsequently indicted in April 2022, federal officials said.

Friday's proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joanna Seybert; when sentenced, he faces up to two years in prison, federal officials said.

Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher A. Scharf, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Department of Transportation; and Daniel G. Cort, Inspector General for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, announced the guilty plea.

"As dramatically evidenced by the derailment, the rail bond Conklin falsely claimed to have inspected was a critical piece of railroad equipment, essential to ensuring the safety of passengers," said Peace. "While thankfully no one was seriously hurt in this accident, it is a stark reminder of the importance federal oversight plays in the safety and integrity of our transportation system."

"Anyone choosing to intentionally ignore federal laws and requirements put in place to ensure the safety of the traveling public will be pursed to the fullest extent of the law," Scharf said. "Today’s guilty plea is the result of an unwavering commitment to safety demonstrated together with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners."

As set forth in the complaint and indictment, Conklin was employed by LIRR as a signalman and his responsibilities included performing regular inspections of rail bonds, federal officials said.

Rail bonds are electronic jumpers around joints in the rails of a railroad track to ensure continuity of conductivity for signal currents. On April 26, 2019, Conklin falsely indicated in an inspection report that he had inspected a particular rail bond in Speonk, and that the bond had passed inspection, federal officials said.

Video footage from a LIRR camera showed that Conklin did not inspect the bond during his shift that day, officials said.

About one month later, on May 23, 2019, a westbound LIRR train collided with the rear of an eastbound train in Speonk, officials said. The rear of the westbound train did not register in the LIRR signal system as occupying a section of side track, causing the eastbound train to be cleared to pass on the main track when there was not enough space to do so, federal officials said.

A subsequent LIRR investigation determined that the rail bond that Conklin had falsely indicated he had inspected on April 26, 2019, was broken and that the broken rail bond was the cause of the signal malfunction and the derailment, officials said.

"Falsifying inspection reports puts the safety of the public and MTA employees and property at risk," said Cort. "Individuals like Conklin, who shirk their responsibilities and endanger others, should be held accountable — and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for their partnership in doing just that.”"

Sentencing will be on May 17, 2024 at 1:30 p.m., officials noted.

The 2019 derailment in Speonk brought service to a screeching halt on Memorial Day weekend in the Hamptons.

Conklin submitted a letter of resignation six days after the derailment.

Anthony LaPinta, the Hauppauge-based attorney for Conklin, told Patch: "Mr. Conklin conducted a track inspection and submitted a report with the wrong date. The derailment occurred because a LIRR track operator mistakenly directed an oversized, empty train to the wrong track," he said. "The LIRR's efforts to use Mr. Conklin as the scapegoat for the derailment is troubling."

The LIRR did not immediately return a request for comment.