Railroad Inspector Tremelle Sykes Charged With Lying About Inspections In Texas

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District has confirmed a Federal Railroad Administration inspector has been charged with lying on official documents.

Tremelle Sykes has been indicted on eight counts of false statements. He will make his initial appearance before a judge on May 7.

According to the indictment, Sykes was employed by the FRA as a Hazardous Materials Safety Inspector assigned to inspect northeast Texas railroads and shippers for compliance with regulations pertaining to the transport of hazardous materials such as ethanol, crude oil, and other toxic or poisonous substances.

On at least eight occasions, Sykes allegedly falsified inspection reports, claiming to have conducted inspections that never actually occurred. The reports, filed over the course of six months in early 2019, covered railyard companies in Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, Cleburne, Gunter, and Saginaw.

If convicted, Sykes faces up to 40 years in federal prison.