CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A former National Park Service employee has been sentenced to one year of federal probation after admitting to stealing money from a donation box at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
James Masters, 38, of Victor, was also ordered to pay $150 in restitution for theft of government property.
According to court documents, Masters was employed by the National Park Service when he stole approximately $150 from a donation box at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing between October 2025 and February 2026.
As part of his guilty plea, Masters admitted that he used his position to access the donation box and remove money without permission on several occasions. Authorities said Masters also covered surveillance cameras to avoid detection.
United States Magistrate Judge Dwane L. Tinsley imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentencing and credited the National Park Service with investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Amy L. McLaughlin prosecuted the case.
