New Jersey Man Enters Guilty Plea for Role in Dumping Asbestos-Contaminated Waste in Frankfort, NY

Over 60 million pounds of asbestos-contaminated waste illegally dumped at Frankfort, NY field, putting residents at risk for serious illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.

On September 8, 2009, a Norwood, NJ man plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and wire fraud in connection with the illegal dumping of asbestos waste in an upstate New York field, causing asbestos contamination in the area.

Between July and October 2006, the man's company transported and illegally dumped over 60 million pounds of asbestos-contaminated waste at an open farm field site in Frankfort, NY.

The man owned a truck brokering company which arranged for independently-owned tractor-trailers to be used to transport waste to solid waste management facilities.  His company used those vehicles to illegally carry asbestos materials across state lines to the Frankfort location.  He also admitted that through co-conspirators, he obtained fraudulent Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) documentation, which was needed in order to carry those asbestos-contaminated materials from sites in New Jersey and New York City to Frankfort. 

The site, which is adjacent to the Mohawk River in upstate New York, has been designated as Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The costs to remediate the site is expected to cost millions of dollars.

The man is scheduled to be sentenced in January 2010, where he faces a possible prison sentence of 5 years and a fine of $250,000. He will also be ordered to pay restitution related to the cost of the cleanup.

Frankfort, NY Residents at Risk
The asbestos contamination places those living and working in the area at risk for illness. Buried wastes contaminate the soil, and can possibly cause groundwater contamination that could reach the Mohawk River. Any waste on the surface can cause asbestos dust to contaminate the air, where anyone in the area can inhale the dangerous carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).

Because of the long latency period (the time between exposure and when symptoms of an asbestos disease is diagnosed) is decades long, Frankfort residents exposed when the illegal dumping took place may not develop signs of asbestos disease for 40 or more years later.

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