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Enforcement

Criminal Enforcement

EPA's criminal enforcement program was established in 1982 and was granted full law enforcement authority by Congress in 1988. It enforces the nation's laws by investigating cases, collecting evidence, conducting forensic analyses and providing legal guidance to assist in the prosecution of criminal conduct that threatens people's health and the environment. For more information on investigative activities and to read adjudicated case summaries see the monthly Environmental Crimes Case Bulletin.
For more information about investigating environmental crimes.

 

 Report an Environmental Violation.      See EPA Fugitives
HEADLINES

October 24 - Marshall Woman Sentenced To 33 Months In Prison For Mail Fraud

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – On Tuesday, October 23, 2012, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Linda Knox, of Marshall, North Carolina, to 33 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release for committing mail fraud, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Reidinger also ordered Knox to pay $22,056 as restitution to victims.

According to filed court documents and related proceedings, Knox is the owner and manager of “If It’s Water & More,” a company that, among other things, samples and analyzes water systems across Western North Carolina. Knox’s client list included public parks, churches, restaurants, campgrounds, mobile home parks, apartment buildings, a child development center, a medical center, a community club, a school, and a fire department, among others. From 2005 through 2010, Knox, through her company, claimed to have provided water sampling services to her clients, when in fact, she did not. Read more in the press release.


October 19 - Two Charlotte Men Sentenced To Prison For Conducting False Vehicle Emissions Inspections

Eagle Auto Shop where false emission testing was conducted

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Two Charlotte men were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Charlotte for violating the Clean Air Act by conducting false vehicle emissions inspections, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

According to filed documents and court related proceedings, at the time of their criminal conduct Chicas and Anwar were employed by two different local vehicle repair shops in Charlotte and were each licensed by the state of North Carolina to conduct onboard diagnostic (OBD) inspections. Court documents indicate that from November 2010 through May 2011, Chicas conducted 236 false vehicle inspections by connecting his personal vehicle to the state OBD emissions analyzer, an activity known as “clean scanning,” thus providing false passing scores for vehicles that would have failed because they required emissions related repairs. In exchange for the false passing results, Chicas typically charged more than the standard inspection fee, sometimes as high as $120 per vehicle. Read more in the press release.


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October 16 - New York Landowner and New Jersey Waste Management Company Owner Convicted of Dumping Asbestos into Wetlands in Upstate New York

WASHINGTON – The owner of a 28-acre piece of property on the Mohawk River and the owner of a New Jersey solid waste management company were found guilty by a federal jury in Utica, N.Y., today of charges that they conspired to defraud the United States and violate the Clean Water Act by illegally dumping thousands of tons of asbestos-contaminated construction debris on the property in upstate New York, announced Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Richard S. Hartunian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York.

“Mazza and his co-conspirators flouted numerous federal laws designed to protect Americans from exposure to toxic materials when they dumped asbestos contaminated waste into an area that included sensitive wetlands. They also committed fraud and lied to federal investigators in the process,” said Assistant Attorney General Moreno. “This conviction is a just result because these men have been held accountable for egregious environmental crimes that harm human health and the environment.” Read more in the press release.

asbestos filing wetlands
asbestos warning

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.

 

Calendar years:
2012   2011   2010   2009   2008   2007

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

 

graphic of United States map


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.

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Investigating Environmental Crimes

Criminal statutes

Criminal enforcement publications and policy

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

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