Upper Marlboro Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Miles of Railroad Track and Hardware

An Upper Marlboro man has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $222,000 in railroad track plus mounting hardware and accessories from the freight railroad, CSX Corporation.

Randy Lawrence Penkert, 50, of the 6500 block of Rosemont Street, entered a plea to one count of theft over $100,000 in Howard County Circuit Court on Monday.

On October 7, 2015 CSX railroad police were dispatched to an industrial park in east Columbia where several hundred feet of rail, along with the tie plates, bolts and spikes, were missing.

Police said the ground was freshly disturbed, and it was obvious that heavy equipment was used to remove the track. The surrounding trees and foliage had been cut to gain access to the tracks which, while not in service, are owned by CSX. Nearby was a flatbed tractor trailer stacked with railroad rails.

Penkert was one of the two workmen at the scene who identified themselves as the owners of Second Chance Recycling. They produced a contract entered into with another firm, retaining them to remove and scrap 32.6 miles of track throughout Maryland. Prosecutors told the court that according to an official from that firm, the contract was fraudulent.

CSX Corporation reports that the cost of replacing the track is more than $453,337.

Howard County police said Penkert will be sentenced on August 25, and faces up to 15 years in prison. He remains in custody at the Howard County Detention Center.