An Incline Village woman has been indicted by the federal grand jury for having three large pine trees chopped down to improve the view from her home.
The 80- to 100-year-old Ponderosa Pines were on U.S. Forest Service land.
Patricia Vincent, 58, hired a commercial tree cutting business to remove the trees in April.
The indictment charges her with willfully committing depredation against property of the United States and theft of government property.
If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of two counts.
The U.S. Forest Service lot on Driver Way in Incline Village is designated as an environmentally sensitive urban lot designed to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin.
"It is important that public lands, which are held in trust for the benefit of all citizens, are appropriately protected by our land management agencies," said U.S. Attorney Greg Brower. "Individuals who unlawfully encroach on these lands and cause damage will be prosecuted."
Vincent will appear before United States Magistrate Judge Valerie Cooke Feb. 25 to face the charges.