Two Tennessee men have been charged with illegally excavating and taking civil war-era artifacts from the bottom of Fort McCook.
The area, also know as Battle Creek, is located on property owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Kenneth Stephen Fagin, Jr., 39, of South Pittsburgh, and Terry Bruce Tate, 61, of Manchester, were sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison.
Fagin was ordered to pay $22,463.59 in restitution to the TVA and the National Park Service to cover the cost of restoration and repair to the sites.
Tate was ordered to pay $21,619.59 in restitution to the TVA.
When they are released from prison, Fagin and Tate will each serve a one-year term of supervised release, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The men pleaded guilty in February 2015 to multiple counts of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, including violations in Tennessee and Alabama.
Fagin, Tate and others recovered Civil War Hotchkiss shells, which are pieces of artillery used during the Civil War. (continue reading)