U
   * *
Quick Links
Defendant Summary
Sentencings
Plea Agreements
Environmental  Crimes
Case  Bulletin
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

 Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training



 This bulletin summarizes publicized investigative activity and

 adjudicated cases conducted by OCEFT Criminal Investigation

 Division special agents, forensic specialists, and legal support staff.

 May 2014


 In This Edition:


 • Rai Johnson, William Manuszewski, Donald Grzebielu-

  cha, Theodore Lehmann — Region 2


 • Leo M. Williams — Region 2


 • Arab Ship Management LTD. — Region 3


 • Action Manufacturing Company — Region 3


 • Mark Sawyer — Region 4


 • David Braswell — Region 4


 • Colfax Treating Company, LLC — Region 6


 • Pacific Tank Cleaning, Inc — Region 9


 • Marcelina Botello Charles — Region 9


 • Owyhee Construction Incorporated — Region 10
                   &EPA
            United States
            Environmental Protection
            Agency
EPA Pub. 310-N-14-005

-------
                                  Defendant Summary
Region
Defendants
Case Type/Status
Region 2
Rai Johnson, William
Manuszewski, Donald Grzebielu-
cha, Theodore Lehmann
CAA/Violating asbestos work practice standards; neg-
ligent endangerment by allowing asbestos to be re-
leased into the air
Region 2
Leo M. Williams
CWA/Water contaminated with dust and debris from
demolition flowed into waters of U.S.
Region 3
Arab Ship Management LTD.
Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships/Illegal disposal of
oil sludge, illegal entries on oil record books
Region 3
Action Manufacturing Company
RCRA/lllegal storage of hazardous waste
Region 4
Mark Sawyer
CWA/Violation of work practice standards pertaining
to wetting, stripping, bagging, and disposal of asbes-
tos
                                             Page 2
                                                      EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                  Defendant Summary
Region
Defendants
Case Type/Status
Region 4
David Braswell
CAA/lmproper asbestos work practice standards
Region 6
Colfax Treating Company , LLC
CWA/Negligent discharge of waste materials into city
sewer system
Region 9
Pacific Tank Cleaning, Inc
CERCLA/Failure to report acid spill
Region 9
Marcelina Botello Charles
FIFRA/lllegal distribution of pesticides
Region 10
Owyhee Construction Incorpo-
rated
CERCLA/Failure to report releases of asbestos
                                             PageS
                                                       EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
Sentencings
Idaho Corporation Fined for Criminal Asbestos Violations - On May 21, 2014, OWYHEE CONSTRUCTION IN-
CORPORATED, a Boise, Idaho-based corporation, was sentenced in federal district court for the District of
                                                        Idaho to three years of probation for violating
                                                        the Comprehensive  Environmental Response,
                                                        Compensation,  and  Liability Act  (CERCLA). It
                                                        was  also fined  $100,000,  ordered to imple-
                                                        ment a compliance  and  ethics program, and
                                                        pay  restitution.  Two  employees,  Douglas
                                                      N Greiner and Bradley  Eberhart, of Owyhee Con-
                                                        struction were previously sentenced to prison
                                                        terms for acts related to the disposal of asbes-
                                                        tos.
                                                              Owyhee  Construction Inc.,  was the suc-
                                                        cessful  bidder on a $3 million waterline reno-
                                                        vation project in Orofino, Idaho,  a  rural com-
                                                        munity in  north central Idaho. The contract
 Pieces of the old cement asbestos pipe that was improperly handled by  documents warned Owyhee Construction that
                   Greiner and Eberhart.                     tne company may encounter up to 5,000 line-
ar feet of cement asbestos pipe (CAP) during the renovation. CAP is a non-friable form of asbestos that is en-
capsulated in a cement matrix. When the CAP is broken or crushed by heavy equipment or  subjected to
cutting and grinding by machinery, it becomes subject to regulation  because of the threat to public health
from airborne fibers.
       The onsite manager and foreman failed to properly supervise the renovation. While working in the
trenches to replace pipe, workers removed
CAP from  the trenches which ended up as
part  of fill material  on sixteen  properties
around Orofino. Owyhee Construction never
reported the releases of the asbestos. EPA's
cleanup  cost  is just  under  $4 million.
Owyhee Construction was  ordered to  pay
restitution to EPA based on resolution of a
civil suit currently under way with other po-
tentially responsible parties.
       The case was investigated by EPA's  superfund contractor wetting suspected asbestos containing materialfn
Criminal Investigation Division.  It was pros-                         the dump site.
ecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney, D. Marc
Haws from the District of Idaho and Senior Trial Attorney J. Ronald Sutcliffe of the Justice Department's Envi-
ronmental Crimes Section.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                                     from
      Page 4
                                                                        EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                      Sentencings
The cleanup of the acid spill outside Pacific Tank Cleaning, Inc.
California Tank Cleaning Firm Fined for Failing to Report Toxic Acid Spill Near Elementary School - On May
28, 2014, PACIFIC TANK CLEANING (PTC), INC, a family-owned tank cleaning firm located in San Diego, Cali-
fornia, was sentenced in federal district court for the Southern District of California to pay a $50,000 fine for
failing to report an acid  spill that occurred at its facility.
                                                             The  company employs  85  people on
                                                      [three shifts and is engaged in the  business of
                                                       cleaning industrial tanks and piping,  primarily
                                                       aboard  ships.  On Monday, March  28, 2011, in
                                                      | the former PTC yard  on  National Avenue in San
                                                       Diego, the valve on a 275-gallon plastic contain-
                                                       er (tote) failed, spilling the contents of the tote
                                                       onto  the  ground at the facility.  The  liquid
                                                       pooled  on  the  concrete at the  facility, and
                                                      I flowed out a hole at the base of the  wall. The
                                                       fluid ran down an alley at the rear of the facility
                                                       (etching  the concrete)  and pooled along  the
                                                       curb in front of a nearby elementary school.
                                                             Two days later a  nearby business report-
                                                       ed the spill. The San Diego Fire Department Haz-
                                                       ardous Incident Response Team (HIRT) and the
San Diego County Department of Environmental Health Service, Hazardous Materials Management Division
(DEH) responded to the scene, and closed the affected streets and alley. The responders traced the  spill from
the school, down the alley to the PTC facility. Samples of the liquid  pooled in the street and samples of the
soil just outside the PTC facility were found to be extremely acidic, with a pH of less than 1. Measured pH val-
ues are typically between 14 (most basic) to 0 (most acidic). Pure water has a pH of about 7.
       One of the HIRT responders contacted a PTC vice president at the site. The vice president falsely ad-
vised that there  were no acids at  PTC, only contaminated  water. The HIRT responder asked to inspect the
facility and observed multiple large totes containing a product called Dynamic Descaler which  contains hy-
drochloric acid. There was  no evidence of any spill on the grounds of the  PTC facility. Although PTC denied
that they were the source of the spill, PTC contacted a clean-up company that afternoon. The clean up com-
pany washed and vacuumed the remaining liquid from the street and alley and properly disposed of the vac-
uumed material,  at a cost of $17,000 (which was reimbursed to PTC by its insurance carrier).
       Subsequently, the criminal investigation revealed that an employee on the first shift at PTC  had been
directed by production  manager Jorge Luquin to use the contents of a 275 gallon tote to clean piping that
was in the PTC yard that had  come from a Navy ship. On March 28, 2011, the first shift employee discovered
that the valve on the tote of used acid  had failed, spilling the contents. The first shift employee reported the
spill to Luquin, and advised Luquin that he had seen liquid in the alley.
       Luquin ordered  the PTC employees to clean up the spill on the site. PTC employees rinsed the area
and vacuumed the liquid from the yard, placing it in another tote at the facility labeled "oily water" that was
later sampled by DEH (and  relabeled by health officials as "corrosive"). Although PTC  had a Health and Safety
                                           PageS
                                                                        EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                         Sentencings
Manager, that individual was not aware of the spill until the HIRT response two days later. The acid spill in-
volved well over the reportable quantity of a hazardous substance (100 pounds of a corrosive liquid), but up-
on discovery of the release, PTC did not report it to the National Response Center, or any other governmen-
tal agency, as required by law.
       PTC pled guilty in February. In addition to the  criminal fine, PTC was placed on probation for three
years, assessed a $400 penalty, and also ordered to reimburse DEH $11,238.60 for the costs of responding to
the spill.
       Pacific Tank Cleaning Production Manager Jorge Luquin pled guilty to the unlawful discharge of pollu-
tants  in February of 2014. In pleading guilty, Luquin  admitted  that although he was aware the tank had
leaked, he made no effort to contain the spill outside the facility, which allowed the acid to enter the storm
drain system and ultimately the waters of the United States. Luquin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24,
2014.
       The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau  of Investiga-
tion, and the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health Services, Hazardous Materials Manage-
ment Division.
Back to Defendant Summary
                               Stains on the ground caused by the acid spill
                                               PageS
EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                        Sentencings
Jordanian Shipping Company Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Illegally Discharging Oily Waste -On May
20, 2014, Jordan-based ARAB SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD., pleaded guilty in federal district court for the District
of Delaware to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. In accordance with the terms
of the plea agreement, Arab Ship Management Ltd. was  sentenced to  pay  a  criminal penalty totaling
$500,000 and be placed on probation for two years, during which time ships operated by the company will
be banned from calling on ports of the United States.
       According to court documents and
statements made in court, Arab Ship Man-
agement Ltd. operated the M/VNeameh, a
6,398 gross ton ocean-going livestock carri-
er.   On March 28, 2013,  the  U.S. Coast
Guard boarded the vessel in the Delaware
Bay  Big Stone Anchorage  to  conduct an
inspection.  The inspection and subsequent
criminal  investigation  revealed  heavy oil
sludge inside  the piping on the discharge
side of the pollution prevention equipment
leading  directly overboard, where  no oil
sludge should  be if the  pollution preven-
tion  equipment is operated properly.  In-
spectors also discovered that  the  vessel's
piping arrangement had been modified in a prohibited manner so as to allow oil sludge to be pumped direct-
ly overboard.  This prohibited piping arrangement was removed prior to the vessel's arrival in Delaware. Also
during the inspection, Coast Guard officers were presented with two oil record books which are required by
law to be accurately maintained onboard the vessel. These two oil record  books contained different and con-
tradictory entries for the time period November 30, 2011, through January 2, 2012, as well as fake oily waste
disposal receipts.
       The  case was investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, Coast Guard Marine Safety
Detachment Lewes  and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. The case was  prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ste-
phen Da Ponte in the Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of
the Department of Justice and Assistant  U.S. Attorney Edmond Falgowski from the U.S. Attorney's Office for
the District  of Delaware.
Back to Defendant Summary
The M/V Neameh
                                              Page?
         EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                        Sentencings
South Carolina Contractor Gets Jail Term. Fine For Improper Asbestos Removal - On May 22, 2014, DAVID
BRASWELL was sentenced in federal district court for the District of South Carolina for violating the Clean
Air Act.  Braswell was sentenced to six months in prison, six months house arrest, three years supervised re-
lease, and a $10,000 fine.
      Braswell ran CoolCote, a construction and renovation company in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
area.  He was contracted to remove and replace siding on a high rise beach front condominium complex in
Myrtle Beach.  Braswell was made aware that the existing siding contained asbestos material and agreed to
do the job for a lower price. He did not provide the proper work practice standards  protection and, as a re-
sult, contaminated a local beach and adjacent properties.
      The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the South Carolina  Department
of Health and Environmental Control. Assistant U. S. Attorney Jim May of the Columbia office prosecuted the
case.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                              PageS                     EPA Bulletin—May 2014

-------
                                      Plea Agreements
Pennsylvania Company Pleads Guilty to Improper Storage of Explosive Hazardous Waste and Agrees to
$1.2 Million Fine - On May 21, 2014, ACTION MANUFACTURING COMPANY, headquartered in Bristol, Bucks
County, pled guilty in federal district court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to storing explosive haz-
                                                   ardous waste illegally at its facility in Atglen, Chester
                                                   County, Pennsylvania.  The company agreed to pay a
                                                  | fine of $1.2 million, and will face  a five-year term of
                                                   probation and a special  assessment of $800.  Its
                                                   president has agreed to resign, and the company will
                                                   comply with a schedule for disposing  of the backlog
                                                   of  waste built up over  many years. A  sentencing
                                                   hearing is scheduled for  August  27,  2014.  Action
                                                   Manufacturing also admitted that it violated Depart-
                                                 I ment  of  Transportation   recordkeeping regulations
                                                 "for transporting  explosive  material  on  the public
                                                   roads.
                                                          Action Manufacturing makes timing and arm-
                                                   ing devices for munitions and explosives.  In its man-
                                                   ufacturing process, Action Manufacturing mixes ex-
Stockpiled explosive hazardous waste at Action Manufacturing's
                   Atglen facility.
plosive powders, and also fills boosters, detonators and other items with explosive powders. Action Manu-
facturing's production process generates explosive solid waste, and the law requires that it be disposed of in
accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  The company admitted that, instead of send-
ing its waste to an approved treatment, storage and disposal facility, it stockpiled explosive hazardous waste
at its Atglen facility without a permit. In November 2011, civil inspectors from EPA's Land and Chemicals Di-
vision and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection inspected the Atglen  site, and found
the illegally stored waste, including scrap parts and components that were years or even decades overdue
for disposal.
       The case was investigated by the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division  and the U.S. Department of
Transportation  Office of Inspector General.  It  is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Elizabeth
Abrams.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                                             Tnmzn
                                                        '    HAZARDQU
                                                               WASTE
                                                            EDERAL LAW PROHIBITS IMPROPER DISPOSAL
                 Labels on boxes of explosive hazardous waste illegally stored at Action Manufacturing
                                               Page 9
                                                                         EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                     Plea Agreements
Pennsylvania Construction Services Company Owner Pleads Guilty to CWA Violation -- On May 28, 2014,
LEO M. WILLIAMS, the owner of Lycoming Construction Services, LLC, a Pennsylvania company located in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal district court for the Western District of New York to
violating the Clean Water Act. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine of $25,000
per day of violation, or both.  From January 2012 to November 2013, Williams was involved in the demoli-
tion of the Dahlstrom industrial complex, located in Jamestown, New York. The project involved the demoli-
tion of a cluster of condemned buildings on either side of the Chadakoin River, which is a water of the United
States. During the demolition, a significant amount of water contaminated with dust and debris from the
demolition flowed offsite directly into the Chadakoin River. Williams should have been aware that such con-
taminated water  was flowing into the  river, and  acted  negligently  in allowing  the  water to be  dis-
charged.  Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2014.
      The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents  of EPA's  Criminal Investi-
gation Division, special agents of the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, and  investigators of the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, BECI.  Additional assistance was provided by
the New  York State Department of Labor, Asbestos Control Bureau and the U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                             Page 10                    EPA Bulletin—May 2014

-------
     Plea Agreements
Aerial view of the six buildings at the Kensington Towers Apartment complex where
       asbestos was illegally abated. The area includes a school, hospital,
                       and residences nearby.
New York Men. Including City and State Inspectors. Plead Guilty to Asbestos Crimes -- On May 1, 2014, RAI
JOHNSON, of Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty in federal district court for the Western  District of New
York to violating the Clean Air Act asbestos work practice standards. The charge carries a maximum penalty
of five years in prison, a fine of
$250,000  or both.  On  May 8,
2014, WILLIAM MANUSZEWSKI
and   DONALD  GRZEBIELUCHA,
both  of  Buffalo,  New  York,
pleaded guilty to a negligent en-
dangerment charge  under  the
Clean Air Act. The charge carries
a maximum penalty of one year
in prison,  a fine of $100,000 or
both. On May 13, 2014, THEO-
DORE LEHMANN pled guilty to a
misdemeanor charge of violating
the Clean  Air Act.  Sentencing is
scheduled for August 18,  2014.
      Johnson was a supervisor
at Johnson Contracting of WNY, Inc., an asbestos abatement company that was hired to conduct asbestos
abatement activities  at six buildings at the  Kensington Towers Apartment Complex in Buffalo. In a  pre-
abatement asbestos survey, each building at  Kensington Towers was found to contain 63,000 square feet of
regulated  asbestos-containing material. The  asbestos abatement project lasted from June 2009 to January
2010. During the asbestos abatement of Building A-l, Johnson and employees working under his direction
violated the Clean Air Act asbestos work practice standards by: (i) failing to adequately wet regulated asbes-
tos during stripping and  removal operations; (ii) failing to  ensure that regulated asbestos remained wetted
until placed  in  leak-tight containers; and  (iii) causing regulated asbestos to  be dropped down holes  cut
through the floors in Building A-l.
      Manuszewski and Grzebielucha were  employed by the city of Buffalo as building inspectors. The air
monitoring at Kensington Towers was conducted JMD Environmental, Inc. On August 25, 2009,  defendant
Grzebielucha inspected Building A-l at Kensington  Towers, and during the inspection, negligently allowed
asbestos to be  released in the air. Likewise, on January 15, 2010, defendant Manuszewski inspected building
A-5 at Kensington Towers,  and during the inspection,  negligently allowed asbestos to be released in the air.
During both inspections, the defendants admitted that they were negligent in relying on the previous inspec-
tions conducted by JMD  employees that indicated all asbestos had been  removed from the buildings.  Leh-
mann was a state inspector who worked on the project.
      The federal investigation began in January of 2010 with an anonymous phone call to the state Depart-
ment of Environmental Conservation. The caller complained about the illegal handling of asbestos at the site.
      In the end,  investigators determined a substantial amount of asbestos had been left inside the com-
plex's six towers, and if a  demolition had occurred as scheduled, a significant amount of asbestos would have
              Page 11
                                                                       EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                    Plea Agreements
been released into the neighborhood, which includes a residential area, two schools and Erie County Medical
Center.
      Lehmann was the last of nine defendants to plead guilty as part of the Kensington Towers asbestos
abatement project. Ernest Johnson and JMD project monitors Evan Harnden, Chris Coseglia, Henry Hawkins,
and Brian Scott have also been convicted.
      The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General, and the New York
State Department of Environmental  Conservation Police, BECI.  Additional assistance was provided by the
New York State Department of Labor, Asbestos Control Bureau. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney
Aaron J. Mango.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                            Page 12                    EPA Bulletin—May 2014

-------
                                     Plea Agreements
Tennessee Salvage Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate the CWA - On May 14, 2014,
MARK SAWYER, the  owner and operator of a Tennessee salvage and  demolition company, A&E  Salvage
                                          Inc., pleaded guilty in federal  district court  for the  Eastern
                                          District of Tennessee for conspiring to violate the Clean Air
                                          Act's "work practice standards" salient to the proper  wetting,
                                          stripping, bagging and disposal of asbestos.  Sawyer faces up
                                         | to five years  in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice
                                          the gross gain or loss to the victims.  Sawyer is the last of five
                                          charged  co-defendants to plead  guilty. Sawyer, Eric Gruen-
                                          berg, Nick Smith, Armida  DiSanti and Milto DiSanti are due to
                                          be sentenced on Nov. 19, 2014.
                                                 According to the charges,  Sawyer, along with other co
                                          -conspirators, engaged in a multi-year scheme in which sub-
                                          stantial amounts of regulated asbestos containing materials
                                          were improperly removed  from  components of the former
                                          Liberty Fibers Plant or were illegally left in place during dem-
                                          olition.
                                                 The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investiga-
                                          tion Division.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attor-
                                          ney Matthew T. Morris of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the
                                          Eastern District of Tennessee and Senior Trial Attorney Todd
                                          W. Gleason of the Environmental Crimes Section of  the Jus-
                                          tice Department's Environment and Natural  Resources Divi-
                                          sion.
   _..,...,         ,     ,..   ,  ....     Back to Defendant Summary
   Stripped boiler from powerhouse of the facility
Debris piles with stripped tanks

                         Before and after demolition of the former Liberty Fibers Plant
                                              Page 13
                                                               EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                     Plea Agreements
Louisiana Wood Treating Company Pleads Guilty to Negligently Discharging Waste into City Sewer System
On May 23, 2014, COLFAX TREATING COMPANY, LLC, pleaded guilty in federal district court for the Western
District of Louisiana to one count of negligent discharge of waste materials in violation of its daily limit per-
mit. Company representative, Johnathan Martin, pleaded guilty on the company's behalf at the hearing. Sen-
tencing is set for August 1, 2014.
      According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, Colfax Treating Company, LLC,  a wood treating
facility in Pineville, Louisiana, negligently discharged pentachlorophenol on June 13, 2008, into Pineville's
sewer system, which leads to the publicly-owned water treatment works. The company discharged 7.1 milli-
grams per liter of the chemical in violation of the Clean Water Act. The permitted discharge amount is 5.64
milligrams per liter, which is a difference of 1.46 milligrams per liter. Pentachlorophenol is used in the com-
pany's wood treating process.  The minimum fine for the illegal discharge from the company's property is
$2,500 per day of violation, with a maximum fine of $25,000 per day of violation.
      The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the Louisiana Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality, and the  FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph G. Jarzabek.
Back to Defendant Summary
                 Colfax Treating Company
Pentachlorophenol material from sewer
                                              Page 14
                EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------
                                      Plea Agreements
California Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Marijuana Plants. Illegal Pesticides - On May
19, 2014, MARCELINA BOTELLO CHARLES, of Murrieta, California, pleaded guilty in federal district  court for
the Eastern District of California to conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute
9,749 marijuana plants at a grow site in the Lilly Canyon area of the Sequoia National Forest. She also plead-
ed guilty to distributing illegal  pesticides, in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA) and agreed to make restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for damage caused by the marijuana cul-
tivation operation. Sentencing  is scheduled for August 11, 2014.
       The drug conspiracy carries a maximum prison
term of 20 years  in prison and a $4 million fine. The
FIFRA violation carries a maximum penalty of one year
in prison and a maximum fine  of $25,000. The actual
sentence, however, will be determined at the discre-
tion of the court after consideration of any applicable
statutory factors  and the Federal Sentencing Guide-
lines, which take into account a number of variables.
According to court documents, the public  land  sus-
tained extensive damage  as a result of the marijuana
cultivation activities there. Native oak trees and other
vegetation were killed or cut down to make room for
the marijuana plants. The soil  was tilled, and  fertiliz-
ers, pesticides, and rodenticides were spread through-
out the site.  Cans of a common Mexican rat  poison,
Fosfuro de Zinc and "Ratone: fosfuro de zinc," and a
Mexican  insecticide,  "QuFuran," were found at both
the cultivation site and the  residence where  Charles
temporarily   resided  in   Bakersfield,  after  she  was
found delivering supplies to the marijuana cultivation
operation. In  addition to the pesticides, two handguns
and numerous items relating to marijuana cultivation
were seized.
       The case was investigated  by  EPA's Criminal
Investigation  Division, the U.S. Forest  Service, DEA,
U.S. Immigration  and Customs Enforcement's Home-   Smuggled Mexican pesticides involved in this investigation
land Security Investigations, and the Kern County Sher-
iff's Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar.
Back to Defendant Summary
                                              Page 15
EPA Bulletin-May 2014

-------