Enforcement
Criminal Enforcement
For more information about investigating environmental crimes.
HEADLINES
NOW AVAILABLE - Environmental Crimes Case Bulletin
September 2012 Environmental Crimes Case Bulletin (PDF) (16 pp, 1.4MB)
October 11 - Area Man Sentenced for Falsifying Documents for Vehicle Owners
St. Louis, MO - Michael Terry was sentenced today to 13 months in prison for falsifying documentation regarding auto emissions tests and sales tax documentation during his employment at Sure Start Battery & Tire Company on St. Charles Rock Road, St. Louis.
According to court documents, the legitimate business of Sure Start was general vehicle repair including safety and auto emissions testing. Terry conducted false safety and auto emissions tests and provided false safety documentation to vehicle owners for compensation to bypass the Missouri state laws associated with vehicle safety and EPA regulations. Additionally, Terry created false documents showing vehicle insurance; false bill of sale documents on motor vehicles reducing the actual sales price to lower the amount of state sales tax due; and paid personal property tax receipts for vehicle owners to register their vehicles, all of which they personally delivered to the Missouri Department of Revenue office on South Kingshighway, St. Louis. Read more in the press release (PDF) (1 pg, 41K)
October 10 - Prominent Pierce County Developer Sentenced to Prison for Criminal Violations of Clean Water Act
Violations contributed to landslides at the
site forcing the West Valley Highway to close.A prominent Sumner, Washington developer was sentenced to prison today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for a felony violation of the Clean Water Act. BRYAN STOWE, 65, was sentenced to six months in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $300,000 fine for knowingly violating a national pollution discharge elimination permit. In addition, STOWE will make a $100,000 payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for environmental projects targeting resources impacted by the illegal discharges. STOWE, as president and co-owner of Stowe Construction, Inc., admitted knowingly violating the Construction General Storm Water Permit for the Rainier Park of Industry project, located on West Valley Highway in Sumner. Permit violations contributed to two major landslides at the site in 2010 and 2011. Both slides forced closure of the West Valley Highway. This case is one of the first storm water pollution criminal cases brought in the United States. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton referenced the Clean Water Act saying, “These regulations serve a broad and useful purpose. You violated them persistently. You were wrong.” Read more in the press release
October 5 - Chesapeake Appalachia Pleads Guilty to Clean Water Act Violations
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC (hereinafter “Chesapeake”) entered pleas of guilty today in federal court to three violations of the Clean Water Act related to natural gas drilling activity in Northern West Virginia, according to United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld, II.
Chesapeake pled guilty to three counts of “Unauthorized Discharge into a Water of the United States” in that it discharged sixty (60) tons of crushed stone and gravel into Blake Fork, a water of the United States, on at least three different occasions in December of 2008. Chesapeake also admitted that after discharging the stone and gravel that it then spread the material in the stream to create a roadway for the purpose of improving access to a site associated with Marcellus Shale drilling activity in Wetzel County, West Virginia. Read more in the press release (PDF) (2 pp, 87K)
Blake Fork before Chesapeake Appalachia
filled in the stream to create a roadway
Blake Fork after having stone and gravel
spread in the stream in to create a roadway.
October 4 - Local Water Department Superintendent Sentenced for Falsifying Reports at Water Treatment Facilities
Boston - The former Superintendent of the Avon Water Department was sentenced to one year probation on charges that he made false representations in federally-required reports, regarding the disinfectant levels in the water at two water treatment facilities.
In addition to the probation sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock ordered John Tetreault, 55, to pay a $15,000 fine. Tetreault must also issue letters of apology to the Town of Avon and pay to publish it in the Boston Globe, as well as in publications of the Massachusetts Waterworks Association and New England Waterworks Association. Read more in the press release.
Read more Criminal Press Releases
Case Activities
Criminal Press
Releases
List of press releases announcing the results of EPA criminal cases adjudicated in U.S. Federal Courts.
Summary of Criminal Prosecutions
The Summary of Criminal Prosecutions provides information on major case elements for concluded environmental crime cases dating back to 1983.
The official case documents are on file at their respective U.S. District Court.
2011 Interactive map of concluded enforcement cases
EPA's criminal enforcement program has more than 350 specially trained investigators, chemists, engineers, technicians, lawyers, and support staff. The Criminal Enforcement Overview provides more basic information about EPA's criminal program.
Blue Marsh Laboratories, Inc., located in Douglassville, Pennsylvania.
Michael J. McKenna is the president, laboratory director, and owner of Blue Marsh.
An office inside the Blue Marsh Lab.
Blue Marsh and McKenna, primary business was the analytical testing of environmental samples of water and wastewater.
Environmental test reports prepared and mailed to customers falsely stated that proper EPA methods were followed when they weren't.
The defendants prepared and mailed false and fraudulent test results for Hurricane Katrina flood water samples.
They also submitted false test reports to the Food and Drug Administration.
Blue Marsh laboratory testing area.
Computer equipment used by Blue Marsh to conduct and report sampling results.
Inside the Blue Marsh Laboratory.
Collection area within the Blue Marsh Laboratory.
EPA collects samples from a work station in the laboratory.
Investigating Environmental Crimes
Criminal statutes
- Criminal v. Civil Enforcement - How Do Criminal and Civil Enforcement Differ?
- Find out how the criminal provisions in our environmental laws protect you and your environment.
Criminal enforcement publications and policy
- Monthly Environmental Crimes Case Bulletins
- Criminal Enforcement Alerts
- Policies and Guidance Documents
- Publications
Forensics
- Laboratory Forensics (NEIC) - The National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) has a unique role in supporting complex criminal and civil enforcement investigations and conduting applied research and development to maintain sufficient scientific tools and applications for the enforcement programs.
- Computer Forensics - The EPA Criminal Enforcement Programs National Computer Forensics Laboratory (NCFL) provides forensics support, internet investigative support, and technical investigative equipment support.
- Field Operations Program EPA's highly-trained team of Special Agents and law enforcement specialists use specialized equipment to collect forensic evidence and conduct environmental sampling at environmental crime scenes involving chemical, biological, or radiological hazards and ensure on-site health and safety.
Partnerships
- Strong partnerships with many other federal, state, tribal and international law enforcement agencies support the enforcement of environmental criminal statutes as well as ancillary statutes. More on some of the intergovernmental partnerships criminal enforcement has fostered.