Man Gets 30 Days In Prison For Digging Up Ginseng In National Park, Ordered To Pay Restitution

A man who pleaded guilty to digging up ginseng roots in a national park has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.

Coby Brummett pleaded guilty to unlawfully digging up more than 300 ginseng roots within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, which sits at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.

“Our national parks and the resources within, like Ginseng, are natural resources maintained for the benefit of all our citizens and not forms of currency to be poached and sold-off for profit,” Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee said in a statement. “One of our core missions is to protect the resources and natural wonders that are found in abundance on the national park lands found in the Western District of Virginia and enjoyed by millions of visitors every year. This case is a warning to those who may try to use these resources for their own benefit. I am grateful to the National Park Service for their diligence in keeping our national parks vibrant and safe.”

The case was investigated by the National Park Service. Along with being sentenced to 30 days in prison, Brummett was ordered to pay $6,240.25 in restitution to the National Park Service, and was banned from the park for three years.

“Preserving natural and cultural resources like these on behalf of current and future generations of Americans is a central part of our mission,” said Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Superintendent Lisa Baldwin. “We are proud of the work of our staff and partners that led to this outcome.”