Got News to Share? Send 2 FREE Releases ↓

News Search | All News Topics > Mesothelioma News Topics: By Country | By State ; Press Releases by Industry Channel > All Mesothelioma Press Releases

Environmental Crimes Bulletin - April 2025

View All Environmental Crimes Bulletins

In This Issue:

Cases by District/Circuit

Recently Charged

United States v. Ryan Spencer

No. 1:25-CR-00100 (Middle District of Pennsylvania)
ECS Senior Trial Attorneys RJ Powers and Ron Sarachan
AUSA David Williams

On April 4, 2025, prosecutors filed an information charging Ryan Spencer with conspiring to impede the lawful functions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA), as well as substantive CAA violations (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).

Between 2013 and March 2024, Spencer, a Service Manager at Pro Diesel Werks, LLC, along with Pro Diesel Werks owner Roy Ladell Weaver and others, disabled the hardware emissions control systems on the diesel vehicles of Pro Diesel Werks’ customers (a practice referred to as a “delete” or “deleting”), defeating the systems’ ability to reduce pollutant gases and particulate matter emitted into the atmosphere. The information further alleges that Spencer and his co-conspirators also tampered with the emissions diagnostic systems on the vehicles to prevent the diagnostic system software from monitoring the emission control system hardware deletes (a practice referred to as a “tune” or “tuning”).

On February 19, 2025, a grand jury indicted Weaver and Pro Diesel Werks on similar charges.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Joel David Ridley

No. 2:25-mj-00175 (Western District of Washington)
AUSA Celia Ann Lee

On April 7, 2025, a court unsealed a complaint charging Joel David Ridley, a member of the Lummi Nation, with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and for illegally possessing a firearm (16 U.S.C. § 668(a); 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1)).

According to the complaint, on February 23, 2025, a witness on the Lummi Reservation heard a gunshot while walking his dog. As he walked home, the witness heard a second shot and saw a person pick up an eagle from the ground. As the witness was on the phone with police, he saw another eagle fall from a tree on his property. The eagle was badly injured. Police captured the surviving eagle and later transported it to the Humane Society.

Shortly after meeting with the witness, police encountered an SUV in the area that matched the description provided by the reporting party. A records check revealed the vehicle belonged to Ridley. When police responded to the residence, they observed a dead eagle in the back seat of Ridley’s vehicle.

Police obtained a search warrant for Ridley’s vehicle and found a dead eagle and a .22 caliber Savage rifle concealed between the rear seats. Ridely is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior conviction.

Both juvenile bald eagles were taken to the Washington State Humane Society and found to have suffered gunshot wounds. The surviving eagle had to be euthanized.

While the Lummi Tribe is permitted to possess, distribute, and transport bald or golden eagles found dead within Indian Country, the permit does not authorize the taking of eagles by gunshot, poison, or trapping.

The Lummi Nation Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

United States v. Dumitru Cicai

No. 3:25-mj-01628 (Southern District of California)
AUSA Emily Allen

On April 8, 2025, prosecutors filed a complaint charging Dumitru Cicai with smuggling twenty-four one-liter bottles of “Taktic” pesticide into the United States (18 U.S.C. § 545).

On March 31, 2025, Cicai drove into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Cicai told the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) primary inspection officer that he had nothing to declare. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the primary officer discovered multiple pieces of natural wood branches in the vehicle’s trunk and large bottles concealed in black bags.

When questioned by the secondary CBP officer, Cicai said he only had wood to declare, nothing else. Upon closer inspection, officers found 24 bottles of pesticide labeled “Taktic.”

“Taktic” contains the active ingredient amitraz at an emulsifiable concentration of 12.5 percent. Under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, amitraz in this form is a cancelled and unregistered pesticide in the United States.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

United States v. Jason Christenson

No. 3:25-CR-00030 (District of Alaska)
AUSA Ainsley McNerney
RCEC Karla Perrin

On April 25, 2025, prosecutors filed an information charging Jason Christenson with tampering with a Clean Air Act (CAA) monitoring device and CAA false statements (42 U.S.C. §§ 7413(c)(2)(C), (c)(2)(A)).

Between October 2019 and March 2024, Christenson tampered with monitoring methods required to be maintained under the CAA by altering the emissions control equipment on approximately 170 diesel trucks. Christenson and his business, Elite Diesel Performance, also modified the onboard diagnostic systems of the vehicles to prevent them from detecting the fact that this equipment had been removed.

On May 1, 2021, Christenson submitted a response to a Request for Information sent by the Environmental Protection Agency that contained false statements. Specifically, for the question asking whether he or his business had manufactured, sold, or installed any defeat devices, Christenson responded ‘no.’ In truth, he had installed more than 100 defeat devices on diesel trucks between January 2019 and January 2021.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

Guilty Pleas

United States v. Priscilla Sanchez

No. 5:25-CR-00254 (Southern District of Texas)
AUSA Torie Sailor

On April 1, 2025, Priscilla Sanchez pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for attempting to import five spider monkeys, a protected species, into the United States from Mexico (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2), 3373(d)(1)(A)). Sentencing is scheduled for July 1, 2025.

On January 13, 2025, Sanchez attempted to enter the U.S. at the Port of Entry, near Laredo, Texas, driving an SUV. Customs and Border Protection officers referred her to secondary screening. Officers discovered a duffle bag with five monkeys wearing diapers concealed inside of it. Authorities confirmed they were spider monkeys, which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Sanchez admitted to keeping monkeys at her house and selling them for between $300 and $500 each. She also knew it was illegal to do so.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.

Case photo of monkeys seized by CBP agents.

United States v. Lauren DeLoach

No. 9:25-CR-00164 (District of South Carolina)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors
AUSA Winston Holliday
AUSA Elle Klein

On April 10, 2025, Lauren DeLoach pleaded guilty to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Lacey Act trafficking for importing and selling sperm whale teeth and bones (16 U.S.C. §§ 1372(a)(4)(B), 3372(a)(1), 3373(b)(1)(B)).

DeLoach operated a home decoration store in St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Between September 2021 and September 2024, he imported sperm whale parts to South Carolina, with at least 30 shipments coming from Australia, Latvia, Norway, and Ukraine. DeLoach instructed suppliers to label the items as “plastic” or “resin” so they would not be seized by U.S. Customs authorities. DeLoach acknowledged selling the teeth and bones from July 2022 through September 2024, in violation of the Lacey Act. He sold at least 85 items on eBay worth more than $18,000, and agents seized approximately $20,000 worth of sperm whale parts from DeLoach’s residence while executing a search warrant.

Laboratory analysis confirmed the teeth and bones belonged to sperm whales, which are a protected species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted the investigation.

United States v. Dale A. Smith

No. 1:21-CR-00031 (Western District of Pennsylvania)
AUSA Paul Sellers

On April 21, 2025, Dale A. Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to violating the Lacey Act for illegally purchasing American ginseng (18 U.S.C. § 371; 16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2)(B), 3373(d)(l)(B)).

As the owner and operator of Alleghany Mountain Ginseng, Smith possessed licenses to deal wild American ginseng in Pennsylvania and New York. Between September 2018 and January 2020, he purchased wild ginseng in Pennsylvania from buyers who informed him that they harvested it from New York without required certifications. Smith then submitted falsified Ginseng Dealer Quarterly Reports stating he purchased legally harvested ginseng from Pennsylvania, when in fact the ginseng came from New York.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. Matanuska Diesel, LLC, et al.

No. 3:23-CR-00109 (District of Alaska)
AUSA Jennifer Ivers
RCEC Karla Perrin

On April 23, 2025, Brendan Trevors entered into a pretrial diversion agreement, pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (18 U.S.C. § 371). The charge will be dismissed in 18 months if Trevors complies with all the conditions in the agreement. This includes paying a $16,000 fine and restoring his vehicle back to original emission control parameters.

Between July 2020 and June 2022, Matanuska Diesel, LLC, company owner Mackenzie Spurlock, and former co-owner Trevors, removed air pollution control equipment and tampered with federally mandated monitoring devices on diesel vehicles. The process of removing emissions control systems and reprogramming a vehicle’s onboard diagnostic system is known as “deleting” and “tuning.” These unlawful modifications result in a significant increase in pollutants emitted by the vehicle. The defendants tampered with approximately nine trucks, charging between $1,200 and $5,000 for those services.

Matanuska and Spurlock are scheduled for trial to begin on October 20, 2025, for conspiring to violate the CAA and multiple substantive CAA violations (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Onill Vasquez Lozada, et al.

No. 1:24-CR-00075 (District of Rhode Island)
ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner
AUSA John McAdams

On April 29, 2025, Onill Vasquez Lozada pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing, sponsoring, and exhibiting birds in an animal fighting venture in violation of the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2156(a)(1), (b), (d); 18 U.S.C. § 49(a)). Sentencing is scheduled for July 29, 2025.

Lozada is one of six defendants charged with violating the Animal Welfare Act in connection with a cockfighting operation. According to the indictment, on March 6, 2022, Miguel Delgado hosted a series of individual cockfights, known as “derbies,” at his Providence home. Delgado is also charged with sponsoring and exhibiting roosters in an animal fighting venture on multiple dates, buying and transporting sharp instruments, or “gaffs,” for use in the cockfights, and unlawfully possessing roosters for use in an animal fighting venture.

Antonio Ledee Rivera and Lozada were charged with unlawfully possessing roosters in April 2021 for use in an animal fighting venture and for sponsoring and exhibiting roosters at a March 2022 derby at Delgado’ s home. Rivera was also charged in connection with an earlier derby at Delgado’ s home.

Germidez Kingsley Jamie, Jose Rivera, and Luis Castillo are charged with sponsoring and exhibiting roosters at an animal fighting venture at the March 2022 derby. Jamie and Jose Rivera are also charged with one count of buying and transporting gaffs for use in an animal fighting venture.

The Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Postal Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals conducted the investigation. The following agencies also assisted: the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Rhode Island State Police; Massachusetts State Police; Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Law Enforcement Division; and Providence, Woonsocket, and Attleboro, MA, Police Departments.

United States v. Michael Kandis

No. 5:25-CR-00005 (Northern District of West Virginia)
ECS Trial Attorney Lauren Steele
AUSA Max Nogay

On April 30, 2025, Michael Kandis pleaded guilty to a Lacey Act Trafficking offense (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2)(A), 3373(d)(2)).

Kandis is a reptile dealer in Wheeling, West Virginia. Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) conservation officers became acquainted with Kandis through a long-term investigation in which they operated in a covert capacity at various reptile shows throughout the Midwest.

During their investigation, the IDNR officers conducted several wildlife transactions involving Kandis. In October 2019, Kandis purchased 47 snakes from undercover officers, 25 of which were bullsnakes, for a total price of $1,415. The sale was conducted in Noblesville, Indiana. Bullsnakes are a native species in Indiana, and it is illegal to sell them under Indiana law. Kandis later transported the snakes from Indiana to West Virginia to sell.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources conducted the investigation.

Sentencings

United States v. Pavel Ivanovich Turlak, et al.

No. 2:24-CR-00057 (Eastern District of Washington)
AUSA Dan Fruchter
AUSA Jacob Brooks
RCEC Gwendolyn Brooks

On April 2, 2025, a court sentenced Pavel Ivanovich Turlak, and his Spokane-based trucking companies: PT Express, LLC; Spokane Truck Service, LLC; and Pauls Trans, LLC. They previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally violate Clean Air Act (CAA) emissions controls and to fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding (42 U.S.C. § 7413 (c)(2)(C);18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1343, 287). All defendants will complete five-year terms of probation, with the companies subject to an environmental compliance plan. All defendants are jointly and severally responsible for $317,389 in restitution to the Small Business Administration.

Between August 2017 and November 2023, Turlak purchased illegal “delete tune” packages from Ryan Hugh Milliken and his company, Hardaway Solutions, LLC. They designed this software to disable and defeat emissions controls and monitoring systems required under the CAA. Turlak loaded the delete tunes into the trucks used by his own businesses, as well as trucks of co-conspirators who were customers of Spokane Truck Service, LLC. Milliken created and sold custom software delete tunes to Turlak for vehicles based on specifications Turlak outlined. Turlak then charged as much as $3,500 to diesel truck owners to “delete” and “tune” their vehicles by tampering with their pollution monitoring devices.

In addition to violating the CAA, Turlak fraudulently obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding. Between March 2020 and August 2021, Turlak fraudulently applied for and received more than $300,000 in federal funding that was designated to go to eligible small businesses during the pandemic. Turlak and his businesses were not eligible to receive this funding due to their ongoing participation in this criminal conspiracy.

Milliken and Hardaway Solutions pleaded guilty in November 2024 to conspiracy and to violating the CAA (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)). They were sentenced in January 2025 to complete five-year terms of probation, during which the company will be responsible for implementing an environmental compliance plan. Both defendants are jointly and severally responsible for paying a $75,000 fine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Spokane Police Department.

United States v. Charles Limmer

No. 1:23-CR-00405 (Eastern District of New York)
AUSA Sean M. Sherman

On April 3, 2025, a court sentenced Charles Limmer to two years of home detention. Limmer pleaded guilty to conspiracy after prosecutors charged him with Endangered Species Act, Lacey Act, and smuggling violations for trafficking in numerous specimens of butterflies (18 U.S.C. § 371). This protected species is known as “birdwings” due to their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. As part of the plea, Limmer forfeited 1,600 specimens.

Limmer obtained a license in 2016 to import and export wildlife. After Limmer and his business violated numerous import/export regulations, the Fish and Wildlife Service suspended his license.

Between October 2022 and September 2023, Limmer and others imported and exported at least 59 illegal shipments containing wildlife, valued at approximately $216,000. They falsely labelled the wildlife as “decorative wall coverings" or "origami paper creations."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. Idrissa Bagayoko

No. 1:23-CR-00265 (District of Maryland)
AUSA Kimberly Phillips
RCEC Kertisha Dixon
RCEC David Lastra

On April 3, 2025, a court sentenced Idrissa Bagayoko to time served, followed by one year of supervised release to include three months’ home confinement for transporting and selling unregistered pesticides. Bagayoko also will pay $5,640 in restitution to reimburse the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the cost of destroying unregistered pesticides.

A jury convicted Bagayoko in November 2024 on two counts for transporting and selling the unregistered pesticide Sniper DDVP. The jury found Bagayoko guilty of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA) (7 U.S.C. §§ 136j(a)(1) (A), 136l(b)(1)(B); 49 U.S.C. § 5124).

Bagayoko owned and operated Maliba Trading, LLC. According to evidence presented at trial, on September 29, 2021, Bagayoko drove from New York to Maryland and sold two boxes of Sniper DDVP to an individual in Maryland. Police later stopped Bagayoko in Elkton, Maryland, with 18 additional boxes of Sniper DDVP containing a total of 1,728 bottles.

Samples taken from the bottles revealed the presence of dichlorvos. EPA has classified dichlorvos as a probable human carcinogen. In total, the defendant transported more than 330 pounds of dichlorvos (a reportable quantity) without requisite shipping papers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and the Elkton Maryland Police Department conducted the investigation.

United States v. Redemption Repairs & Performance

No. 4:24-CR-40016 (Western District of Arkansas)
AUSA Sydney Stanley

On April 3, 2025, a court sentenced Redemption Repairs & Performance (RRP) to pay a $50,000 fine and complete a three-year term of probation.

RRP pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) for modifying and deleting the emissions control systems of diesel engines and tampering with and rendering inaccurate the vehicles’ onboard diagnostic (OBD) systems (42 U.S.C § 7413(c)(2)(C)).

RRP is a truck repair shop specializing in diesel engine repairs and performance located in Texarkana, Arkansas. Between May 2020 and October 2022, the company falsified, tampered with, and rendered inaccurate monitoring devices required to be maintained and followed under the CAA. After removing or altering the emission control equipment on diesel trucks, RRP modified the diesel trucks’ OBD systems to prevent detection of the removal and disabling of the equipment. The company performed this service on approximately 50 vehicles, charging between $2,600-$2,700 per truck.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Chamness Dirt Works, Inc., et al.

No. 3:24-CR-00430 (District of Oregon)
AUSA Bryan Chinwuba
RCEC Karla Perrin

On April 3, 2025, a court sentenced Ryan Richter, Ronald Chamness, Horseshoe Grove, LLC, and Chamness Dirt Works, Inc., for violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

Property management company Horseshoe Grove pleaded guilty to violating the CAA National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for asbestos work practice standards (42 U.S.C. §§ 7412(h),7413(c)(1)). Horseshoe Grove’s owner and operator Ryan Richter pleaded guilty to a CAA negligent endangerment violation (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)). Construction and demolition company Chamness Dirt Works pleaded guilty to violating the CAA NESHAP for asbestos, and company owner and president, Ronald Chamness, pleaded guilty to a CAA negligent endangerment violation (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)).

Horseshoe Grove and Chamness Dirt Works were sentenced to complete three-year terms of probation. Richter and Ronald Chamness were each sentenced to five-year terms of probation and ordered to remediate the impacted site in accordance with stipulated conditions of probation. No fine was sought against the parties due to the cost of remediating the site to remove any remaining asbestos. The approximate cost of the remediation was $175,000.

In November 2022, Horseshoe Grove acquired a property in The Dalles, Oregon, which included a mobile home park and two dilapidated apartment buildings. The previous owner provided the new buyers with an asbestos survey from December 2021, which identified more than 5,000 square feet of friable chrysotile asbestos within the two deteriorating buildings, with levels ranging from two percent to 25 percent. The survey also noted non-friable asbestos in various building materials, including siding and flooring, throughout the apartments. Despite these findings, Horseshoe Grove failed to implement the necessary precautions for asbestos removal.

In March 2023, Chamness Dirt Works began demolishing the two asbestos-laden structures without following proper removal procedures. Chamness did not engage a certified asbestos abatement contractor, did not wet the asbestos-containing debris, and dumped the material in a regular landfill.

Horseshoe Grove paid Chamness Dirt Works a total of $49,330 for the demolition, which did not meet the required safety standards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. John Waldrop, et al.

No. 1:23-CR-00378 (Eastern District of New York)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors
AUSA Anna Karamigios

On April 9, 2025, the court sentenced Dr. John Waldrop and Toney Jones for their involvement in the largest seizure of bird mounts in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) history. Waldrop pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle wildlife and Endangered Species Act (ESA) violations. He was ordered to pay a $900,000 fine and will complete a three-year term of probation (18 U.S.C. § 371; 16 U.S.C. §§ 1538(e), 1540(b)(1)). This is one of the largest fines ever imposed in an ESA case. Jones was sentenced to complete a six-month term of probation for violating the ESA (16 U.S.C. §§ 1538(e), 1540(b)(1)).

Over a period of five years, Waldrop illegally imported thousands of museum-quality taxidermy bird mounts and preserved eggs to build a personal collection. His collection of 1,401 taxidermy bird mounts and 2,594 eggs included:

Four eagles protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
179 bird and 193 egg species listed in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and
212 bird and 32 egg species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This included extremely rare specimens such as three eggs from the Nordmann’s greenshank, an Asian shorebird with only 900 to 1,600 remaining birds in the wild.

Between 2016 and 2020, Waldrop imported birds and eggs without the required declarations and permits. After USFWS inspectors at John F. Kennedy International Airport and elsewhere intercepted several shipments, Waldrop recruited Jones, who worked on his Georgia farm, to receive the packages. Jones also deposited approximately $525,000 in a bank account that Waldrop then used to pay for the imports and hide his involvement. Waldrop and Jones used online sales sites such as eBay and Etsy to buy birds and eggs from around the world, including Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

In total, Waldrop spent more than $1.2 million to illegally build this collection. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Waldrop abandoned his collection, which was distributed to the USFWS forensic laboratory, the Smithsonian, and other museums and universities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. John D. Murphy

No. 1:24-CR-10074 (District of Massachusetts)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Matthew Morris
AUSA Danial Bennett
AUSA Kaitlin Brown
ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman

On April 9, 2025, a court sentenced John D. Murphy to nine months’ incarceration, and three months and one day of home confinement, followed by three years’ supervised release. Murphy was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Murphy pleaded guilty to violating the Animal Welfare Act for possessing dogs to use in an animal fighting venture (7 U.S.C. § 2156(b)).

Prosecutors charged Murphy after investigators identified him on recorded calls discussing dog fighting in a separate investigation. Subsequent court-authorized searches of his Facebook accounts revealed Murphy’s extensive involvement in dogfighting.

On June 7, 2023, authorities executed a search warrant at Murphy’s residence and another home, seizing 13 pit bull-type dogs. Several dogs exhibited scarring consistent with animal fighting. Authorities also recovered equipment used in fights, including syringes, anabolic steroids, a skin stapler, forceps, and equipment and literature for training dogs.

The investigation revealed that Murphy often communicated with other dogfighters via Facebook and posted dogfighting-related photos to his Facebook account. Additionally, Murphy posted videos depicting pit bull-type dogs tethered to treadmills commonly used to physically condition dogs for fighting.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with assistance from the following agencies: Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service; U.S. Marshals Service; Maine State Police; New Hampshire State Police; Massachusetts Office of the State Auditor; Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and Police Departments in Hanson, Boston, and Acton, Massachusetts.

United States v. Jose Correa

No. 1:24-CR-00685 (Southern District of New York)
AUSA Alexandra Rothman

On April 10, 2025, a court sentenced Jose Correa to pay a $10,000 fine and complete a two-year term of probation. Correa pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act for negligently releasing asbestos into the ambient air (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)).

Between November and December 2022, Correa removed asbestos-containing floor tiles and mastic from a supermarket in Manhattan without hiring an asbestos abatement contractor. Instead, the material was removed by construction workers who were not provided with protective gear, thereby releasing asbestos into the ambient air and placing the workers in imminent danger of death and serious bodily injury.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Coby Brummett

No. 1:24-PO-00040 (Western District of Virginia)
AUSA Corey Hall

On April 11, 2025, a court sentenced Coby Brummett to 30 days’ incarceration with credit for time served. Brummett was also ordered to pay more than $6,200 in restitution for illegally digging and removing ginseng from within the boundaries of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Additionally, Brummett is banned from the Park for three years (36 C.F.R. § 2.1(c)(3)).

An investigation by Park Service rangers determined that Brummett dug up more than 300 ginseng roots from within the confines of the park.

The restitution will be paid to the National Park Service, which conducted the investigation.

United States v. Royce Gillham

No. 2:24-CR-14046 (Southern District of Florida)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
AUSA Daniel Funk

On April 11, 2025, a court ordered Royce Gillham to pay $2,857,029 in restitution to ACT Fuels.

This is in addition to the court’s sentence of 37 months’ incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release, ordered on March 14, 2025. Gillham, the former general manager of a biofuel producer based in Fort Pierce, Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to make false claims (18 U.S.C.§ 371).

This biofuel company produced and sold renewable fuel and fuel credits and claimed to turn various feedstocks into biodiesel. When reporting the number of gallons produced to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gillham and his employer vastly overstated their production volume in an effort to generate more credits. When auditors sought more information from the company, Gillham and his co-conspirators gave them false information about their fuel production and customers.

The scheme generated more than $7 million in fraudulent EPA renewable fuels credits and sought over $6 million in fraudulent tax credits connected to the purported production of biodiesel.

ACT Fuels purchased the fraudulent fuel credits in question and had to buy replacement credits when authorities found that Gillham’s company produced fraudulent renewable identification numbers or RINs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation.

United States v. Mold Wranglers, et al.

No. 6:24-CR-00025 (District of Montana)
AUSA Ryan Weldon

On April 14, 2025, a court sentenced Mold Wranglers, Inc., a Kalispell-based hazardous material mitigation company, to pay a $50,000 fine, and complete a two-year term of probation, to include an environmental compliance plan. The company also will pay $348,000 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Mold Wranglers pleaded guilty to a False Claims Act conspiracy for filing false claims with the VA for lead paint abatement work that was never performed (18 U.S.C. § 286).

Between 2018 and 2019, Mold Wranglers claimed it performed lead abatement work at the Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison facility. The project consisted of converting residential units for low-income veterans and their families. Mold Wranglers submitted documentation to the VA for work including painting over lead-based paint with encapsulating paint. However, the company failed to comply with federal regulations governing lead work, as its employees were not certified to handle lead, and it did not notify the Environmental Protection Agency of the work as required.

Additionally, Mold Wranglers applied the encapsulating paint in a manner inconsistent with the manufacturer’s specifications.

The agreement the company made with the VA specified it was not performing an actual abatement but merely “aesthetically repairing the paint and finishing the homes.” Despite this agreement, the company submitted 11 false payment requests, claiming to have performed lead abatement work, and received a total of $456,000 in federal funds for work that did not meet the necessary standards for lead abatement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and Office of Inspector General, The Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted the investigation.

United States v. Melanie Ann Carlin

No. 6:24-CR-00024 (District of Montana)
AUSA Ryan Weldon

On April 14, 2025, a court sentenced Melanie Ann Carlin to pay a $150,000 fine and complete a three-year term of probation. Carlin pleaded guilty to violating the knowing endangerment provision of the Toxic Substances Control Act for failing to provide required lead-based paint disclosures to veterans residing at Freedom’s Path Fort Harrison in Helena, Montana (15 U.S.C. § 2615(b)(2)(A)). Carlin’s actions led to the exposure of veterans and their families to dangerous levels of lead, a hazardous substance known to cause serious health issues, particularly for children.

Carlin owns a property management company called 406 Properties, Inc. She was responsible for overseeing rental units at Freedom’s Path, a housing facility with units built prior to 1978. The facility provided affordable homes for veterans and their families. Between September 2019 and September 2021, Carlin knowingly failed to provide mandated lead disclosures. Carlin knew that the property was built before 1978, which meant that the presence of lead paint was likely.

In 2019, after receiving an email from the Montana Department of Commerce about lead paint concerns, Carlin signed and submitted forms for the units, falsely indicating that they were either free of lead paint or built after 1978. Despite having first-hand knowledge that lead paint was present in the buildings, Carlin continued to neglect her duty to disclose this information to tenants.

In September 2021, an 18-month-old child living in one of the units ingested lead paint chips.

Subsequent medical tests revealed the child had dangerously high blood lead levels and required lead poisoning treatment. Carlin admitted to agents that she knew about the lead paint disclosure requirement but failed to give residents the required notice. Carlin’s failure to act placed veterans and their families at imminent risk of serious harm.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development conducted the investigation.

United States v. Aghorn Operating, Inc., et al.

No. 7:22-CR-00049 (Western District of Texas)
ECS Assistant Chief Thomas Ballantine
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Christopher Costantini
ECS Trial Attorney Mark Romley
ECS Trial Attorney Ron Sarachan
ECS Paralegal John Jones
ECS Law Clerk Maria Wallace

On April 15, 2025, Aghorn Operating, Inc., Trent Day, and Kodiak Roustabout, Inc., entered guilty pleas and were sentenced in relation to Worker Safety, Clean Air Act (CAA) and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) violations. Day pleaded guilty to a CAA negligent endangerment charge and was sentenced to serve five months’ incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)). Aghorn pleaded guilty to CAA negligent endangerment and an Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) willful violation count for the death of an employee, Jacob Dean, and his wife, Natalee Dean (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4); 29 U.S.C. § 666(e)). Aghorn was sentenced to pay a $1 million fine and complete a two-year term of probation. Kodiak pleaded guilty to making a materially false statement (18 U.S.C. §1001) regarding well integrity testing that is required under the SDWA and was sentenced to pay a $400,000 fine and complete a one-year term of probation.

Aghorn owns and operates oil wells and leases in Texas. Kodiak performed oilfield support and maintenance services for Aghorn. Day was a vice president for both Aghorn and Kodiak. The CAA and OSHA charges stem from the defendants releasing hydrogen sulfide that caused the deaths of Aghorn employee, Jacob Dean, and his wife, Natalee Dean. Both victims were overcome by hydrogen sulfide at Aghorn’s facility in Odessa. Aghorn and Day later obstructed the investigation into the Deans’ deaths. The SDWA-related violation stems from false statements made by Kodiak regarding the mechanical integrity of Aghorn injection wells in forms and pressure charts filed with the State of Texas Railroad Commission. In addition to the fine, Aghorn will guarantee that at least 33 tests conducted for Aghorn wells during its year of probation are witnessed or conducted by a third party.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Texas Railroad Commission, Ector County Environmental Enforcement, and the Odessa Fire Department.

United States v. Justin Taylor

No. 6:24-CR-00013 (Southern District of Georgia)
AUSA Darron J. Hubbard

On April 15, 2025, a court sentenced Justin Taylor to complete a five-year term of probation and pay $279,642 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tamper with a monitoring device and filing a fraudulent tax return (18 U.S.C. § 371; 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1)).

Between January 2018 and January 2021, Taylor worked as a mechanic. Using a high-powered computer that supported diagnostic tools for heavy-duty logging equipment, Taylor performed emission-control “deletes” for more than 200 owners of diesel engines.

The changes Taylor made to the emission controls on those machines disabled the electronic monitoring devices and methods required under the Clean Air Act. Taylor routinely charged $2,000 for this service, earning more than $1.2 million during this period while reporting only $166,853 in income.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation.

United States v. Johnnie Lee Nelson, et al.

No. 1:23-CR-00787 (District of New Jersey)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy
AUSA Michelle Goldman

On April 16, 2025, a court sentenced Johnnie Lee Nelson to complete a two-year term of probation to include one year of home confinement. Nelson also will perform 100 hours of community service. Nelson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess, train, and transport dogs for an animal fighting venture and to sponsor and exhibit dogs in an animal fighting venture (18 U.S.C. § 371).

On March 23, 2019, officers responded to an emergency call at an auto body garage in Upper Deerfield Township, New Jersey. They found a fighting pit in the garage, along with two pit bull-type dogs, still fighting, that had been placed into an inoperable car on a lift in the garage as the participants fled on foot. The dogs later died from injuries they sustained while fighting. Officers also found an uninjured pit bull-type dog in a car just outside the garage, along with a rudimentary veterinary suture and skin staple kit in a bag.

Evidence revealed that Nelson’s co-defendant, Tommy Watson, organized the fight, and that their dog was scheduled for the next fight on deck. They jointly possessed and trained this dog for this particular fight, as shown by cell phone video evidence. Nelson and Watson participated in a dog fighting operation they called “From Da Bottom Kennels.” From Da Bottom Kennels and others live-streamed dog fight videos from that garage via the Telegram app. Watson is scheduled for trial to begin on June 4, 2025.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

United States v. Sarmad Ghaled Dafer, et al.

Nos. 3:24-CR-00615, 23-CR-01879 (Southern District of California)
AUSA Sabrina L. Feve
AUSA Robert Miller
Former AUSA Melanie Pierson

On April 18, 2025, a court sentenced Sarmad Ghaled Dafer to four months’ incarceration, followed by three years’ supervised release, to include 180 days of home confinement. Dafer also will pay $23,502 in restitution to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reimburse costs for quarantining three Mexican spider monkeys at the San Diego Zoo. Dafer is jointly and severally responsible along with co-defendant Sarkon Yonan Hanna for the restitution.

On August 14, 2023, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stopped a man and woman attempting to drive a van into the United States from Mexico. During an initial inspection, a CBP officer discovered an animal carrier hidden behind the rear seat that contained live monkeys. The CBP officer referred the occupants and vehicle for a secondary examination. Officers found three baby spider monkeys hidden in the van. The officers seized the monkeys and placed them in quarantine.

A search of the co-conspirator’s phone led to evidence that Dafer purchased and coordinated the smuggling of monkeys across the border on three occasions, between June 2022 and August 2023.

Baby Mexican spider monkeys continue to nurse throughout their first year and ordinarily are not fully weaned and independent until they turn two. Most baby Mexican spider monkeys will continue to stay close to their mothers until they are approximately four years old.

Dafer’s Facebook messages and photos show that he intentionally sought baby monkeys to make the smuggling process easier. He even posted a photo of a baby spider monkey under a heat lamp in a small cage. This suggests that Dafer knew that the baby monkey he was selling had been prematurely separated from its mother.

Mexican spider monkey mothers will not voluntarily relinquish their young and the entire troop of spider monkeys will try to defend the mother and baby from perceived threats. Consequently, to capture the babies, poachers will typically have to kill or harm the mother and entire troop. In this case, genetic analysis confirmed the three babies each had different mothers.

Dafer pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and Hanna pleaded guilty to smuggling (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 545.) Hanna was sentenced on March 14, 2025, to time served, followed by two years’ supervised release, along with the restitution. Hanna was in the car that attempted to smuggle the three monkeys into the United States from Mexico on August 14, 2023.

Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

Case photo of two of the three monkeys rescued by CBP.

United States v. Antonio Pereira, et al.

Nos. 3:24-CR-00824, 3:25-CR-00001 (District of New Jersey)
ECS Trial Attorney Christopher Hale
AUSA Kelly Lyons

On April 22, 2025, a court sentenced Antonio Periera to pay a $4,000 fine and complete a two-year term of probation. Periera and co-defendant Darren McClave pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice (18 U.S.C. § 371). McClave is scheduled for sentencing on June 30, 2025.

McClave, a captain of a clam vessel based out of New Jersey, participated in a scheme to illegally harvest and sell excess scallops, violating federal fishing regulations. While clam vessels are allowed to take a limited quantity of scallops as bycatch, McClave routinely exceeded these limits and sold the surplus to Pereira, a seafood dealer. To cover up the overfishing, McClave and Pereira worked together to falsify the Fishing Vessel Trip Reports and Dealer Reports required by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc. et al.

No. 6:24-CR-00441 (District of Oregon)
ECS Trial Attorney Stephen Foster
ECS Trial Attorney Rachel M. Roberts
AUSA William M. McLaren
RCEC Karla G. Perrin
ECS Law Clerk Maria Wallace

On April 22, 2025, a court sentenced J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc., and J.H. Baxter & Co., a California Limited Partnership, collectively, to pay a total of $1.5 million in criminal fines. In addition, both companies were ordered to serve five-year terms of probation. The companies’ president, Georgia Baxter-Krause, was sentenced to 90 days’ incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release.

The two companies (collectively J.H. Baxter) were responsible for a wood treatment facility in Eugene, Oregon. Both pleaded guilty to charges of illegally treating hazardous waste and knowingly violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928(d)(2)(A); 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(1)). Baxter-Krause pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928 (d)(3)).

J.H. Baxter used hazardous chemicals to treat and preserve wood at its Eugene facility. The wastewater from the wood preserving processes was hazardous waste. J.H. Baxter operated a wastewater treatment unit to treat and evaporate the waste. For years, however, when the facility accumulated too much water on site, employees transferred this water to a wood treatment retort to “boil it off,” greatly reducing the volume. J.H. Baxter would then remove the waste that remained, label it as hazardous waste, and ship it offsite for disposal.

J.H. Baxter was never issued a RCRA permit to treat its waste in this manner. The facility was also subject to CAA emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants. However, employees were directed to open all vents on the retorts, allowing discharges to the surrounding air.

State inspectors requested information about J.H. Baxter's practice of boiling off hazardous wastewater. On two separate occasions, Baxter-Krause made false statements in response to these requests regarding the dates the practice took place, and which retorts were used. The investigation determined that Baxter-Krause knew J.H. Baxter maintained detailed daily production logs for each retort.

J.H. Baxter boiled off hazardous process wastewater in its wood treatment retorts on 136 days. Baxter-Krause was also aware that during this time the company used four of its five retorts to boil off wastewater.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon State Police.

United States v. Dlubak Glass Company

No. 3:24-CR-00533 (Northern District of Texas)
ECS Trial Attorney Lauren Steele
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Gary Donner

On April 29, 2025, a court sentenced Dlubak Glass Company (DGC) to pay a $100,000 fine and complete a four-year term of probation. The company pleaded guilty to making a false statement regarding the storage of hazardous waste (18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)).

DGC is in the business of processing and recycling glass products, including CRT (cathode ray tube) glass. CRTs have three components: a panel, a funnel, and a neck. Both the panel and the funnel are made of glass. CRT funnel glass contains significant amounts of lead, while panel glass typically contains lead in much lower quantities. Because of the presence of lead, used CRTs that are transported, stored, or disposed of can be considered a characteristic hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

DGC operated facilities in several states, including locations in Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma. Pursuant to a Consent Order, DGC agreed to ship all the CRT glass at its Arizona facility offsite for recycling or disposal as hazardous waste. DGC later shipped approximately 4,000 tons of CRT glass from Yuma, Arizona, to its Texas facility, telling regulators that it would recycle the material by incorporating it into commercial products.

When Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) inspected DGC’s Texas facility they observed piles of CRT glass onsite. DGC’s plant manager told inspectors that the only CRT glass present at the location was “processed panel glass containing no lead.” Dlubak employees later repeated this assertion in a follow-up meeting with TCEQ. However, further investigation determined that the glass in question was composed of both panel and funnel glass, a fact which DGC was aware of when it made these statements to TCEQ.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Tribar Technologies, Inc.

No. 2:24-CR-20552 (Eastern District of Michigan)
ECS Senior Counsel Kris Dighe
AUSA Karen Reynolds
RCEC Sasha Reyes

On April 29, 2025, a court sentenced Tribar Technologies, Inc. (Tribar), to pay a $200,000 fine, complete a five-year term of probation and enact an environmental compliance plan. Tribar also will pay $20,000 in restitution to the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The company pleaded guilty to negligently violating a pretreatment standard under the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 1317(d) and 1319(c)(1)(A)).

Tribar manufactures automobile parts and presently operates five active plants in southeast Michigan. Plant 5 is a chrome plating facility located in Wixom, Michigan. It uses an electroplating process to apply chrome finishing to plastic automotive parts. Plant 5 generates wastewater that contains chromium compounds, including hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.

On July 23, 2022, Plant 5 accumulated approximately 15,000 gallons of untreated wastewater containing high concentrations of hexavalent chromium. This wastewater had higher levels of pollutants than the wastewater typically generated from Plant 5 operations. During the week beginning July 25, 2022, Plant 5 employees attempted to treat this wastewater in a holding tank to reduce the amount of hexavalent chromium before putting it into the Plant 5 wastewater treatment system. By the end of the week, the wastewater still contained high concentrations of hexavalent chromium.

On July 29, 2022, an employee discharged approximately 10,000 gallons of insufficiently treated wastewater from the holding tank into the Plant 5 wastewater treatment system. This discharge activated wastewater treatment system alarms, indicating that the wastewater required further treatment before it could be discharged to the Wixom sanitary sewer system. The employee disabled approximately 460 alarms and discharged the wastewater to the Wixom sanitary sewer system, and ultimately to the Wixom publicly owned treatment works, without completing the treatment necessary to remove chromium from the wastewater, as required by Tribar’s Industrial Pretreatment Program Permit.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

View All Environmental Crimes Bulletins

Distribution channels: U.S. Politics

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Submit your press release