Criminal Press Releases - 2011
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This is a list of press releases announcing results of EPA criminal cases adjudicated in U.S. courts. The tables are sortable and can be viewed by date or alphabetically under all other headings.
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- 2011 Press Releases
Month/Day | Defendant | State | Violation | Related Media | Case Status | Press Release |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12/19 | Lieze Associates, dba Eagle Recycling | NY | • Conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and to defrauding the United States | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
12/15 | Pelican Refining Company LLC | LA | • Knowingly committed criminal violations of its operating permit • Obstruction of justice for submitting materially false deviation reports to LDEQ |
Air | Sentencing | EPA Press Release |
12/13 | Ilios Shipping Romulo Esperas |
LA | • Illegal discharges of oil waste by falsifying the vessel's oil record book • Conspiracy to obstruct justice |
Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
12/02 | Scott Allen Beckmann | MO | • Misprision of a felony • Making a false statement |
Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
11/30 | Josimar Ferreira | MA | • Improper use of pesticides • Making false statements |
Pesticides | Sentencing | Case Summary |
11/23 | Corn Plus | MN | • Making false statements | Air | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
11/21 | Indian Ridge Resort Community - Indian Ridge Resort, Inc. North Shore Investments, LLC |
MO | • Failed to prevent storm water runoff at the construction site from discharging silt into Table Rock Lake | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
11/18 | Columbus Steel Castings Company, Inc. | OH | • Failing to operate air pollution controls • Failing to report violations • Failing to perform required monitoring • Failing to conduct stack testing to demonstrate compliance |
Air | Sentencing | EPA Press Release |
11/17 | Ronald Eugene Kinard Jack Bard Haney |
NC | • One count of conspiracy • Making false material statements |
Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
11/15 | Edward Wyman | CA | • Illegally storing toxic and explosive hazardous wastes in his backyard, materials that posed an imminent danger to nearby residents | Waste | Sentencing | EPA Press Release |
11/07 | Kenneth Horan | NY | • Violating the Clear Air Act and National Emission Standards applicable to asbestos | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
11/02 | A.E. Nomikos Shipping Inv. Ltd. Lounia Shipping Co. Ltd. |
OR | • One count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships • One count of knowingly making false statements to the U.S. Coast Guard |
Water | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
10/31 | Mike LeBleu {Pelican Refinery} |
LA | • Negligent endangerment | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/28 | Michael Jochem David Rudolph John Rudolph |
IN | • Illegal use of an acutely toxic pesticide | Pesticides | Guilty Plea Conviction |
Case Summary |
10/26 | Thomas Demorest | ID | • Knowingly violating a regulation pertaining to a threatened species of fish, a misdemeanor | Endangered Species | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
10/21 | City of Pineville | LA | • Illegal discharge from a pumping station | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/17 | Lawrence Parawan | TN | • Misuse of a pesticide • Unlawful killing of a migratory bird |
Pesticides | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/13 | Stolthaven New Orleans, LLC | LA | • One misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/12 | Pelican Refining Company | LA | • Felony violations of the Clean Air Act • Obstruction of justice for submitting materially false deviation reports to LDEQ |
Air | Guilty Plea | |
10/11 | Bugman Pest and Lawn, Inc. Coleman Nocks |
UT | • A misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a registered pesticide | Pesticide | Guilty Plea | |
10/11 | Integrated Production Services, LLC, (IPS) | OK | • Negligent violation | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/05 | Anthony Crompton | MO | • Improperly removing and disposing of asbestos-containing materials | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
10/05 | Cory Ledeal King | ID | • Injecting "fluids" into deep wells without a permit | Water | Appeal Upheld | Case Summary |
10/05 | Franklin A. ("Al") Bieri | IL | • Failed to properly dispose of hazardous asbestos waste | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
09/28 | Brian Smith | NC | • Unlawful storage and disposal of a hazardous waste | Waste | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
09/27 | Donald Clark | TN | • Twelve counts of making false documents in connection with the operation of the City of Niota, Tennessee's sewage treatment plant | False Statements | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
09/21 | Keith Gordon-Smith Gordon Smith |
NY | • Knowingly violating the Clean Air Act • Making false statements to a federal inspector |
Air | Sentencing | |
09/21 | William Joseph McCown | NV | • One count of violating the Clean Air Act by falsifying emissions testing results | Air | Sentencing | D. NV Press Release |
09/15 | John Ashley Mabus | SC | • Negligent violation | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
09/13 | Albania Deleon Former EPA Fugitive |
MA | • Making false statements about matters within the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • Procuring false payroll tax returns • Mail fraud. |
Air | Sentencing | |
09/07 | John A. Anderson | OH | • Making false statements to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
09/01 | Kie-Con, Inc. | CA | • Discharged or caused others to discharge concrete process water directly into the San Joaquin River in violation of its Clean Water Act permit. | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
09/01 | Josimar Ferreira | MA | • Sixteen counts of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act • One count of making false statements |
Pesticides | Conviction | Case Summary |
08/24 | T. P. Construction | MT | • Negligent disposal of sewage | Waste | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
08/24 | John Bavaret | LA | • A felony violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act • A misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act |
Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
08/23 | A. David Sugar | OH | • One count of conspiracy to violate the asbestos requirements | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
08/22 | Geraldine Betz Stephen Ponder |
OR | • Unlawful discharge or deposit of any kind of refuse matter into any navigable water, or tributary of any navigable water of the United States, without a permit | Water | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
08/17 | Peter Martin Kuhn Added to EPA Fugitive website |
CA | • Alleged illegal dispose of mining wastes | Waste | Fugitive | EPA Press Release |
08/03 | Mike Vierstra | ID | • Negligent discharge of a pollutant into waters of the United States without a permit | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
07/29 | Brendan Clery | FL | • Illegally smuggled restricted HCFC - 22 | Air | Sentencing | |
07/28 | Stanships Inc. (Marshall Islands) Stanships Inc. (New York) Standard Shipping Inc. Calmore Maritime Ltd. |
LA | • 32 felony counts including: • Sludge and oily waste from the vessel's engines deliberately pumped overboard • Unreported leak between a ballast and fuel tank that led to overboard discharges of oil contaminated waste • Metal bypass pipe used to dump oily waste overboard was hidden from view when the ship was in port • False Oil Record Book |
Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
07/20 | Gabriel Henson | OK | • negligent violation | Water | Guilty Plea | E.D. OK Press Release |
07/19 | Cephus Murrell | MD | three misdemeanor counts: • improper lead paint abatement at rental properties • failure to disclose to tenants the presence of documented lead-based paint hazards |
Lead based paint | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
07/14 | Stephen Craig Dickinson Alexander Christian Edwards Jin Sung Chang Thanh Long Quoc Nguyen Chuck Yee Cheung |
NC | • One count of violating the Clean Air Act • Chang - Making three materially false statements in the course of the investigation |
Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
07/07 | Freedman Farms William B. Freedman |
NC | • Illegal discharge of hog waste into Browder's Branch, a tributary to the Waccamaw River that flows through the White Marsh, a large wetlands complex | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
07/06 | Byron Hamilton | LA | • Negligent endangerment | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
06/22 | Bobby Joe Knapp | IA | • One count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act • One count of failing to remove all regulated material containing asbestos from the Equitable Building before beginning the renovation project |
Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
06/22 | Dhiren Patel | CA | • Introducing a Pollutant into the Sewer System | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
06/16 | Dimitrios Grifakis | MD | • Obstructing a Coast Guard inspection | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
06/15 | Darigold, Inc. | WA | • Discharge of an ammonia solution from the company's dairy processing plant at Issaquah, Washington into the East Fork of Issaquah Creek | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
06/14 | Robert Fromdahl | MT | • Transporting hazardous waste to an unpermitted facility and storing hazardous waste without a permit | Waste | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
06/09 | John A. Anderson | OH | • One count of making false statements to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency related to the operation of the sewage treatment plant that services Pomeroy | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
06/09 | Jeffrey Pruett | LA | • Six felony violations of failure to maintain and provide records • One felony count of effluent violations • One misdemeanor negligent count of failure provide proper operation and maintenance |
Water | Conviction | |
06/06 | Charles Yi John Bostick |
CA | • Conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act's asbestos work practice standards | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
06/06 | Thomas J. Stricker Gregory T. Stricker Stricker Refinishing Company, Inc. |
OH | • Illegally discharge of industrial wastewater into the City of Cleveland sewer system | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
06/03 | Oak Mill, Inc. Robert Arundale |
MO | • Illegal discharge of pollutants into the city's wastewater treatment system | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
05/16 | Jerry R. Askew, Sr. Marine Environmental Services, Inc., (MES) |
VA | • Knowingly discharging pollutants into water of the United States | Water | Guilty Plea | Link Unavailable |
05/04 | James Hinton | GA | • Fraudulently issuing emissions certificates to cars that would have failed the emissions inspection required by law | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
05/04 | Dimitrios Grifakis | MD | • Obstructing a Coast Guard inspection | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/26 | Brendan Clery | FL | • Knowingly importing approximately 278,256 kilograms of illegal hydrochlorofluorocarbon - 22 (HCFC-22) | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/25 | Wajdi Waked | NV | • Falsifying emissions test records | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/21 | A. David Sugar Honey Creek Contracting Company |
OH | • One count Conspiracy • Four counts violating the Clean Air Act rules related to the proper removal and handling of asbestos |
Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/13 | Terry Carver | LA | • Creating a hazardous condition on board the M/V Mel Oliver in violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
04/12 | Stanships Inc. (Marshall Islands) Stanships Inc. (New York) Standard Shipping Inc. Calmore Maritime Ltd. |
LA | • Concealing deliberate pollution in "magic pipe" case • Repeat offender banned after being netted violating probation |
Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/11 | Lieze Associates, dba Eagle Recycling of New Jersey, | NY | • One criminal felony count for conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act's prohibition on filling wetlands • Committing wire fraud to conduct that filling |
Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
04/06 | Edward Wyman | CA | • Illegally storing toxic and explosive hazardous wastes in the backyard, materials that posed in imminent danger to nearby residents | Waste | Conviction | Case Summary |
04/04 | Joe Biggio Mike Milem Mark Snow {Ecological Systems, Inc. (ESI) officials} |
IN | • Intentional discharges of untreated wastewater and storm water from its facility directly into the Indianapolis sewer system | Water | Sentencing | |
03/31 | Koo's Shipping Company S.A. | DC | • Making false statements, knowingly failing to fully • Accurately maintain an oil record book as required by international treaty and U.S. law • Knowingly discharging oily bilge waste into Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa, without using proper pollution prevention equipment |
Water | Conviction Sentencing |
Case Summary |
03/29 | Charles Yi | CA | • Five environmental charges related to the improper renovation of a San Fernando Valley, Calif., apartment complex - work that caused asbestos to be released into the complex and the surrounding community | Air | Conviction | Case Summary |
03/25 | Chemical and Metal Industries, Inc. | LA | • Negligently causing the release of hazardous air pollutants and thereby negligently placing another person in imminent danger of death, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 7413(c)(4) (federal Clean Air Act). | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
03/24 | Mike Vierstra | ID | • Negligent discharge of wastewater from a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) into a federally protected waterway | Water | Conviction | Case Summary |
03/21 | David Overdorf | TX | • Disposing of hazardous wastes without a permit | Waste | Guilty Plea | Link Unavailable |
03/18 | Bob Knapp | IA | • One count of conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act • One count of failing to remove all regulated asbestos containing material from the Equitable Building before commencement of the renovation project |
Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
03/17 | Gene Riddle | IA | • Negligently discharged hazardous waste into the water | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
03/16 | Dhiren Patel | CA | • One felony charge of violating the Clean Water Act, specifically, introducing a pollutant into the sewer system | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
03/11 | Honeywell International, Inc. | IL | • One felony offense for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) | Waste | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
|
03/09 | Arthur Aliment Unisea |
AK | • Failing to report the release of a hazardous substance | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
03/08 | Peter Ward | NY | • Violating the conditions of supervised release imposed following 2006 conviction for asbestos-related violations of the Clean Air Act | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
03/03 | Joseph DeMatteo Formerly listed on EPA's Fugitive list |
NV | • Falsifying emissions test records | Air | Sentencing | |
03/02 | Scott Allen Beckmann | MO | • Misprision of a felony • Making a false statement to a federal agent |
Water | Conviction | Case Summary |
03/01 | Daniel Black Blackstone Business Enterprises, Inc. |
NY | • Failure to conduct an inspection before commencement of asbestos removal • Filing a false tax return |
Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
03/01 | John Buerman | RI | • Internet sales of unregistered, unlabeled pesticides for cats and dogs while infringing on the trademark of two well known national brand names, "Frontline" and "Frontline Plus" | Pesticides | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/23 | John Bostick | CA | • Conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act's asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, California | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
02/23 | Cardiff Marine, Inc. | MD | • Falsifying records of illegal discharges of oily waste from the M/V Capitola • Making false statements to the Coast Guard • Other acts of concealment |
Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/17 | Sidney Hebert Environmental Compliance Solutions, LLC |
LA | • Negligent operation of a water treatment facility in violation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/15 | Russell Coco | IA | • Conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act • Violating the Clean Air Act's work practice standards related to asbestos removal |
Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
02/11 | Harp, USA, Inc. | FL | • False statements made in entry documents for the importation of ozone depleting refrigerant gas, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 542 | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/09 | Yini De La Torres | KS | • One count of conspiracy to tamper with a consumer product | Conspiracy | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/09 | James R. Soyars | CO | • Two felony counts of failure to deposit asbestos-containing waste material as soon as practical at a regulated waste disposal or conversion site | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/08 | Donald M. Patterson | MI | • Wire Fraud | Lead based paint | Sentencing | Case Summary |
02/02 | Daniel Arnot Cory Beard Justin Joyner |
GA | • Conspiring to release ozone-depleting substances into the environment | Air | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
01/28 | Stephen J. Spencer Guy Gannaway Keith McConnell |
FL | • Conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act • Various Clean Air Act charges related to the mishandling of asbestos |
Air | Conviction | Case Summary |
01/25 | J. Jeffrey Pruett | LA | • Six felony violations of failure to maintain and provide records • One felony count of effluent violations • One misdemeanor negligent count of failure provide proper operation and maintenance |
Water | Conviction | Case Summary |
01/19 | DRD Towing Randall Dantin |
LA | • Creating hazardous conditions by: (1) assigning employees without proper Coast Guard licenses to operate certain vessels thereby causing these vessels to operate in the navigable waters of the United States with manning levels below those determined by the Coast Guard to be necessary for safe navigation, and (2) paying licensed captains to operate a vessel for 24 hour a day without a relief captain |
Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
01/19 | John Bavaret | LA | • A felony violation of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act • A misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act |
Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
01/19 | Miami Air International, Inc. (MAII) | FL | • Illegal storage and disposal of hazardous oxygen generators and personal breathing equipment (PBEs) that had been removed from commercial aircraft operated by MAII | Waste | Guilty Plea Sentencing |
Case Summary |
01/19 | American Refrigeration Company, Inc. | NH | • One criminal count of causing the Suncook (N.H.) Wastewater Treatment Facility (SWTF) to violate its own environmental permit by discharging ammonia down a sewer drain, rendering the treatment plant inoperable and causing the treatment plant to discharge wastewater into the Merrimack River | Water | Guilty Plea | Case Summary |
01/18 | G & K Services, Inc. | IA | • Negligently causing a discharge of wastewater from their Pleasant Hill, Iowa facility | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
01/10 | Phillip Smith | WA | • Knowingly engaging in land clearing activities that included excavating wetlands and stream channels and redepositing or discharging the excavated materials into waters of the United States | Water | Sentencing | Case Summary |
01/07 | Wolfgang "Tito" Roempke | WA | • Failing to properly remove asbestos - a felony violation of the Clean Air Act | Air | Sentencing | Case Summary |