Investigations

On July 10, 2017, Berthold Technologies U.S.A. (Berthold) was charged by information in U.S. District Court, Knoxville, Tennessee, with falsely representing that devices shipped in interstate commerce had been tested and met DOT requirements for radioactive containers. These devices were primarily used by the oil and gasoline industry to measure the density of fluids used in natural gas fracking operations across the United States between March and October 2014.

 

Berthold entered a plea agreement in which he admitted to making false representations. The terms of the plea agreement include a recommendation that Berthold pay a fine of up to $500,000 at sentencing, with $50,000 to be paid when the company entered its guilty plea. Berthold agreed to work with PHMSA to address any safety concerns regarding devices that were previously shipped to Berthold’s customers.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with PHMSA and the Department of Energy.