Former Plant Supervisors Indicted for Discharging Wastes to Nashville Sewer System and Tampering with a Monitoring Device

A grand jury indictment was unsealed today charging two individuals for their alleged involvement with bypassing treatment processes and tampering with a monitoring device at a Nashville waste treatment facility.

The indictment alleges that Randall Ray Stark, of Texas, and Caleb Warren Randall, of Tennessee, conspired to defraud the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to violate the Clean Water Act. According to court documents, Stark was the Facility Operations Manager and Randall was the Plant Supervisor at the facility operated by Allwaste Onsite, doing business as Onsite Environmental (Onsite). As part of the alleged conspiracy, Stark and Randall directed Onsite employees to bypass treatment processes and discharge untreated and partially treated wastewater into the Nashville sewer system in December 2022 and in January 2023. The indictment further alleges that Stark and Randall tampered with and caused Onsite employees to tamper with a sampling device that the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County placed to monitor Onsite's compliance with its pretreatment permit.

On Aug. 5, Onsite pleaded guilty in Nashville to federal charges relating to the discharges.

If convicted, the defendants face a total sentence of up to 17 years in prison, as well as fines, restitution, and supervised release.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) and Acting U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and Office of Inspector General investigated the case.

Senior Trial Attorney Matthew T. Morris of ENRD's Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed A. Safeeullah for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.