MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A man accused of conspiring to help another man fake his own death in 2013 to cover up his desertion from the U.S. Coast Guard has had his federal charges dismissed in U.S. District Court.
Jeffrey York, 32, was instead fined $25 and ordered to pay court costs after pleading no contest this week in Berkeley County Magistrate Court to one count of accessory after the fact to obstruction in February 2014.
Single counts of conspiracy, making a false statement and hoax causing the U.S. Coast Guard to render unnecessary aid, which had been pending in U.S. District court, were dismissed by the government on Oct. 8.
The Herald Mail reports the couple that York was accused of conspiring with to carry out the hoax, Larry and Karen Shelby of Martinsburg, both pleaded guilty in August.
Defense attorney Kimberley Crockett said York was never aware or involved in the Shelbys’ plan, and did not find out he was alive until months after the government’s search.