Men captured on video wrecking ancient rock formation in Nevada convicted by jury
A jury found two men guilty of destroying delicate rock formations that took nature’s geologic forces millions of years to make in Nevada, federal officials said.
The men were captured on video rolling boulders over a cliff at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, causing more than $1,000 in damage to the rock formation, McClatchy News reported.
Their federal trial took two days, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Nevada said in an April 9 news release. They were each found guilty of one count of injury and depredation of government property.
Video posted by KVVU in April 2024 shows the men wrestle rocks to the dropoff at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
The men “each face a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a $100,000 fine, or both,” prosecutors said. Their sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 8.
More than 8 million people visit Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which covers 1.5 million acres, each year, the National Park Service said.
The reservoir, created by the Hoover Dam, became the nation’s first national recreation area in 1964. It is about a 30-mile drive southeast from Las Vegas.
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 5:49 AM with the headline "Men captured on video wrecking ancient rock formation in Nevada convicted by jury."
