Environmental Crimes Bulletin May 2021

On May  27, 2021, a  court sentenced James  R. Petro to pay  a  $30,000  fine and Richard McGoey  to pay  a $7,000  fine. Both pleaded guilty  to violating the Clean Air Act for causing the release of asbestos during a demolition project (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)).  

In  1999, the Town  of New  Windsor, New York, purchased 250  acres  from  the Department of the Army. The property  contained dozens  of military  barracks  and other buildings built in the 1940’s. Following the purchase, the Town contracted with a  Developer to lease and develop  the land. The Town formerly employed Petro as a Planning and  Zoning Coordinator and McGoey  as an engineer. Between  2006  and 2009, New  Windsor officials applied for a  number of grants  to abate asbestos in some  of the buildings  and completely  demolish  other buildings. Petro and  McGoey  participated in  preparing and submitting the grant applications.  

In May  2008, the Developer obtained a report from  an asbestos inspector that  confirmed ten buildings contained asbestos. In June 2012,  the defendants and others  reviewed abatement bids. Between  May and June 2015,  the group  drafted a request for  proposals  to demolish the ten buildings, without mentioning  the presence of  asbestos.  After the Town published this  request, it  awarded a  $262,000 demolition  contract to the lowest bidder, a contractor  not qualified to  properly  handle and remove asbestos. 

During  the week  of August 11, 2015, the contractor and his  crew  demolished the  buildings  using a backhoe, releasing asbestos to the open  air. After concerned citizens  notified local officials, they suspended the operation.  

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

United States v. Brandon  Weber, No. 4:21-CR-03041(D. Neb.),  AUSA Sean  Lynch

On May  20, 2021, a court sentenced Brandon Weber to pay  a $300  fine and complete a one-year term  of probation.  Weber pleaded guilty  to violating  the Federal  Insecticide, Fungicide,  and Rodenticide Act  for  selling  an unregistered pesticide (7  U.S.C.  §§ 136j(a)(1)(A) and 136l(b)(1)(A)). 

In April 2020, Weber posted advertisements  on Craigslist for  a product he called "Ionic  Colloidal  Silver.” Weber claimed the  product worked as a disinfectant and   antibacterial agent. The  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated an undercover  criminal investigation after notification from  EPA  Civil and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. 

An agent subsequently  met with Weber and purchased five one-gallon bottles  of the  Ionic  Colloidal Silver product for $40  per gallon, or a total of $200. Weber gave the  undercover agent documentation and a list of reference materials, including a study,  entitled “Antibacterial activity  of silver-killed bacteria: the ‘zombies’ effect.” Following the execution of a search  warrant at Weber’s  residence a few  weeks later, agents seized a machine used to make the product and other items associated with its manufacture.

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

United States v. Beatriz Adriana  Sanchez, No. 3:20-CR-02747 (S.D.  Calif.), ECS   Trial Attorney Stephen DaPonte and AUSA Melanie Pierson

On May  19, 2021, a court sentenced Beatriz  Adriana Sanchez  to pay  a $1,000  fine  and complete a two-year term  of probation. Sanchez  previously  pleaded  guilty  to smuggling (18 U.S.C. §  545). 

In July  2020, authorities  apprehended Sanchez  as  she attempted to smuggle  pesticides  from  Mexico into the United States.  Sanchez  possessed six  one-liter bottles  of “Metaldane 600,” five one-liter bottles of “Qufuran, ”two one-liter bottles  of “Coragen,” and seven boxes containing approximately 120 assorted articles of clothing.

Those involved in clandestine  marijuana grows  use illegal  pesticides  to cultivate unregulated marijuana on both public and private land in the United States.  

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

United States v. Juan Agustin Santiago Bentanzos et al., No. 1:18-CR-00197  (E.D. Calif.), AUSA Laurel Montoya

On May  18, 2021, a court sentenced Juan  Agustin Santiago Bentanzos  to six  months’ incarceration, followed by  four-years’ supervised release,  and to pay  $10,122  restitution to the U.S. Forest Service. Bentanzos  pleaded guilty  to conspiracy  to  manufacture marijuana (21  U.S.C. §§  841  (a)(1),  846). Bentanzos  is  one  of  four defendants prosecuted  in this  case  for cultivating  marijuana on public  lands, causing  extensive damage to natural resources.  

Epifanio Raymundo Hernandez-Reyes, Alvarez-Valle, Santiago-Tapia, and Bentanzos  cultivated an  illegal marijuana operation  in the Sequoia National Forest. Between  March and August 2018, law enforcement officers  observed them  on the trail to and from  the site  and at a supply  drop point.  Officers  found numerous  plants, along  with irrigation equipment, a large water impoundment, and interconnected trails causing extensive damage to public lands and natural resources.

A  court  sentenced Alvarez-Valle and Santiago-Tapia to  time served, followed by  three years’ supervised release in February 2020. Hernandez-Reyes is a fugitive.  

The U.S. Forest Service,  the Fresno County  Sheriff’s Office, and the Madera County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

United States v. Luis Joel Vargas-Martell, No. 3:20-CR-00383  (D.P.R.), ECS  Trial Attorney Christopher Hale

On May  17, 2021, a  court sentenced Luis Joel Vargas-Martell (Vargas)  for illegally  collecting, purchasing, falsely  labeling, and shipping protected marine invertebrate species  from Puerto Rican waters. Vargas  will serve two months’ incarceration, followed by  three years’ supervised release. He  will pay  a $10,000  fine, $15,000  in restitution, and perform  300  hours  of community  service. The court also banned Vargas from  collecting  or procuring  marine life, shipping marine life off-island  and scuba diving  and  snorkeling  in Puerto  Rico. Vargas  also surrendered his fishing permits.   

After retiring  from  the  Puerto Rico Police Department, Vargas  opened an online  aquarium  business  from  his  home that  focused on selling  native Puerto Rican marine  species. During  2014  through 2016, Vargas  co-owned the saltwater aquarium  business,  Carebbean Reefers  (spelling  error intentional)  and also operated an online EBay  store. 

Organisms  belonging to the genus  Ricordea (known as “rics,” “polyps,” or  “mushrooms” in the aquarium industry)  are quite popular in the saltwater aquarium  trade.  They  form  part  of  the reef structure and spend their adult lives  fastened in place to the  reef. These colorful animals  “glow” under the ultraviolet lights typically  used in high-end  saltwater aquariums.  

It is illegal to collect  Ricordea, zoanthids, and anemones  in Puerto Rico for  commercial purposes. In order to conceal the nature of his  shipments and to avoid  detection from  inspectors, the scheme included falsely  labelling  many  of the live shipments  as inanimate objects. From January  2014  to March 2016, Vargas  sent or directed at least  40  shipments of marine species  illegally  harvested in the waters of Puerto Rico. While there is some variation in the price of Ricordea depending on coloration, size, and other factors, the aggregate retail value of illegal Ricordea shipped by  Vargas  was  worth at least $90,000. 

Vargas  pleaded guilty  to  smuggling  and violating the Lacey  Act (18  U.S.C. § 554; 16  U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2)(A), (d)(2), 3373(d)(1)(B), (d)(3)(A)).  

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic  and Atmospheric  Administration conducted the investigation.  

United States v. Robert J.  Massey, No. 20-CR-20615  (E.D. Mich.),  ECS  Senior  Counsel Kris Dighe and AUSAs Anne Nee and Jules DePorre

On May  14, 2021, a  court sentenced Robert  J. Massey  to 12  month’s  incarceration,  followed by  one  year of supervised release. The court further ordered Massey  to pay  a $5,000 fine.  

Massey  pleaded guilty  to violating the Clean  Water Act for illegally  discharging  landfill leachate (totaling more than 47  million  gallons)  into the Flint, Michigan, publically owned treatment works  (POTW) for more than eight years (33 U.S.C. § 1319(c)(2)(A)).   Massey  owns  Oil Chem  Inc., a company  that  reclaims  and blends  petroleum wastes  into usable product. In 2008, Oil Chem  received a pretreatment permit  allowing it  to  discharge its  liquid waste stream to the  POTW. The  pretreatment permit prohibited the  discharge of organic waste, including landfill leachate.  

With this  knowledge, starting in 2007, Massey  contracted for Oil Chem  to receive leachate from  a  number of Michigan  landfills. Workers  offloaded  the leachate from incoming tanker trucks  to a tank onsite (number 103). On a daily  basis, Oil Chem  employees  connected a hose to tank 103, discharging  untreated landfill leachate overnight directly into the sanitary  sewer. That practice continued until the City  of Flint intervened in  2015.  Officials with one of the landfills  contacted the POTW  directly about discharging  to  the sanitary  sewer (to bypass  Oil Chem)  and disclosed that  their leachate contained PCBs. Oil Chem  received an estimated $1.2  million from illegally  discharging  close to 48  million  gallons of leachate into the sewer.  

The U.S. Environmental  Protection Agency  Criminal Investigation Division  and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources  Law  Enforcement Division  conducted the investigation.  

United States v. Jose Maxines et al., No. 3:21-CR-00330  (S.D. Calif.),  ECS  Trial  Attorney  Stephen DaPonte and AUSA Melanie Pierson

On May  12, 2021, a court sentenced Heather Ramirez  to one  day  time-served, followed by  one  year  of supervised release.  Ramirez  also will perform  20  hours  of community  service. Ramirez  pleaded guilty  to  violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide  Act for  attempting  to smuggle illegal Mexican pesticides  into the United  States. Co-defendant Jose Maxines  is scheduled for sentencing on July  6, 2021, after  pleading guilty  to conspiracy  (18  U.S.C. §  371; 7  U.S.C  §§  136a (1)(A), 136l(b)(2)).  Authorities  apprehended the defendants  in January  2021  as  they crossed the border with  72 bottles of Metaldane in their vehicle.  

Those involved in clandestine  marijuana grows  use illegal  pesticides  to cultivate unregulated marijuana on both public and private land in the United States.    

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

United States v. Dennis R. McPherron, No. 4:17-CR-00242  (D. Ariz.), AUSA Michael Jette

On May  11, 2021, a court sentenced Dennis  R. McPherron to complete a one-year term  of probation, following his  smuggling conviction in a  bench  trial  in June 2020  (18  U.S.C. § 545).  

Authorities  apprehended McPherron in February  2017, as he attempted to smuggle  protected wildlife items  into the  United  States  at the Mariposa Port  of Entry in Nogales,  Arizona. McPherron possessed 220  feathers  from  protected species  forensically  determined to include: eight Northern Flickers,  four Military  Macaws, one Bald Eagle, one  Golden Eagle, one Crested Caracara, one Greater Roadrunner, one Blue-and-Yellow Macaw, and one  Scarlet Macaw. The court convicted McPherron of smuggling  and ordered him  to  forfeit the feathers    

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted the investigation.

United States  v. Jose Jesus Guillen,  No. 3:20-CR-03169  (S.D. Calif.),  ECS  Trial  Attorney  Stephen DaPonte and AUSA Melanie Pierson

On May  7, 2021, a court sentenced Jose Jesus  Guillen  to complete a two-year term  of probation and pay  $1,085  in restitution to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Guillen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle pesticides (18 U.S.C. §  371).   Authorities  apprehended Guillen  in September 2020, as he attempted  to enter the United States from Mexico with 24 bottles of “Metaldane 600,” a Mexican pesticide.   Those involved in clandestine  marijuana grows  use illegal  pesticides  to cultivate unregulated marijuana on both public and private land in the United States.  

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

United States v. Henry J.  Danzig, No.  4:20-CR-10011  (S.D. Fla.),  AUSA Tom Watts-FitzGerald

On May  6, 2021, a court sentenced Henry  J. Danzig for illegally  harvesting  fish in the Bahamas, in violation of the  Lacey  Act (16  U.S.C. §§  3372(a)(2)(A), 3373(d)(2)).  

Danzig will complete a one-year term  of probation, and make restitution  to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas  by  forfeiting a newly  constructed and outfitted  30-foot Contender Tournament boat. The Royal Bahamas  Defense Force will utilize the craft  to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal and unreported fishing within the  archipelagic waters of the Bahamas.  

In May  2020, the U.S.  Coast Guard intercepted Danzig and four others  in the Atlantic  Ocean outside of  Tavernier, in the Florida Keys, as they  returned from  Bahamian waters.  Upon boarding  the vessel,  the Coast Guard found and seized 167  reef fish, totaling approximately  529  pounds. At the time,  authorities  closed Bahamian waters due to the pandemic. Neither  Danzig nor his  associates  possessed a license allowing them  to take or  sell any  fishery  product or resource fish from Bahamian waters.  

Additional investigation revealed that  Danzig previously  sold  illegally  sourced  Bahamian fish  through  the establishment he  co-owned in Tavernier called the City  Hall Café.  

This  case  is a result of Operation Bahamarama, a  joint enforcement effort by  National Oceanic  and Atmospheric  Administration National Marine Fisheries  Service Office for Law  Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Operation specifically  targets  Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU)  fishing to and from  the waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic  Zone and in conformity  with  the Port  States Measure  Agreement (PSMA), an international agreement designed to target  IUU  fishing. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Bahamas  Defense  Force intelligence gathering efforts played a pivotal role in this successful prosecution.  

United States v. Jiule Lin, No. 20-CR-10210 (D. Mass.), AUSA Adam Dietch

On April 27,  2021,  a court sentenced Jiule Lin to pay  a  $1,500  fine and to complete  a one-year term  of probation. Lin pleaded guilty  to violating the  Federal Insecticide,  Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)  for selling lanyards he claimed offered protection  against viruses (7 U.S.C. §§ 136(j)(a)(1)(a), 136l(b)(1)(B)).  

In March 2020, Lin  offered “Toamit  Virus  Shut Out,” (an unregistered pesticide)  for  sale on eBay  for purchase  in the United States. Lin devised the product  as a card-shaped device to be worn with a lanyard around the user’s  neck.  The product claimed to remove   germs and viruses within a certain radius of the wearer.  

Under the FIFRA, the Environmental Protection Agency  regulates the production, sale, distribution and use of pesticides  in the United States. A  pesticide is any  substance intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating  any  pest, including viruses, and  must be registered with the EPA. Toamit Virus Shut Out was not registered.  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security  Investigations,  the U.S. Food  and Drug  Administration Office of Criminal Investigation, and the Quincy  Police Department  conducted the investigation.  

Environmental Crimes Bulletin