May 8, 2014. Businesses need to appreciate the existence of not only civil liability for violation of environmental laws, but the real threat of personal criminal liability as well. On March 20, 2014, Robert Lewis of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced in federal district court for the Middle District of Georgia to serve 10 months in federal prison for unlawful storage of hazardous waste. Lewis entered a guilty plea to the charges on September 26, 2013. In his plea agreement, Lewis admitted that he owned and operated a waste hauling business under the name of Simple Solutions, Inc. From about May 2007 until April 2008, Lewis transported hazardous waste, generated by a local manufacturing plant, to a licensed disposal facility. On February 26, 2009, forty 55-gallon drums and sixteen 275-gallon totes of this hazardous waste material were found to be improperly stored at a self-storage facility in Macon, Georgia. The units had been rented by Lewis in July 2007. Lewis rented four additional units in August 2007. It was also determined that Lewis had improperly stored hazardous waste, including highly flammable solvents and highly toxic cyanide wastes, in Rex, Georgia, and at his home in Albany, Georgia. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division.
To learn more about the EPA criminal enforcement or safety and risk management, contact the Goosmann Law Firm at info@goosmannlaw.com or call 712-226-4000.
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