Environmental Crimes Bulletin – September 2026

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The Environmental Crimes Bulletin is a monthly publication produced by the Environmental Crimes Section.

Leadership

Joseph Poux, Acting Chief

Contact

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (202) 532-3062

In This Issue:

• Cases by District/Circuit
• Recently Charged
• Guilty Pleas
• Sentencings

Cases by District/Circuit

District/Circuit	Case Name	Conduct/Statute(s)
Southern District of California	United States v. Juan C. Velderrain Perez	Pesticide Smuggling
District of Colorado	United States v. Joseph Nunez, et al.	Hazardous Waste Storage; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Northern District of Florida	United States v. Taurean Jaquan Servance, et al.	Dog Fighting; Animal Fighting Venture
Northern District of Illinois	United States v. Carl Fioravanti	Asbestos Abatement; Tax Fraud; Wire Fraud
Southern District of Illinois	United States v. Derek Partain, et al.	Mine Fire; Conspiracy; Obstruction; Mine Safety Act
Western District of New York	United States v. Michael J. Hale	Hazardous Waste Dumping; False Statement
Eastern District of North Carolina	United States v. American Distillation, Inc., et al.	Chemical Discharges; Clean Water Act; Tax Fraud
Northern District of Ohio	United States v. Teunis Jan Willemsen	Dairy Waste Discharge; Clean Water Act
Southern District of Ohio	United States v. Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation	Employee Death; Clean Air Act
Eastern District of Oklahoma	United States v. Leshon E. Johnson	Dog Fighting; Animal Fighting Venture
Eastern District of Pennsylvania	United States v. Mikhail Tsurikov, et al.	Vessel Oil Discharges; Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships
District of South Carolina	United States v. Lonnie S. Gaskins, et al.	Dog Fighting; Animal Fighting Venture; Conspiracy; Firearms
Middle District of Tennessee	United States v. Caleb Warren Randall, et al.	Wastewater Discharges; Conspiracy
Northern District of Texas	United States v. Thao Duong, United States v. Lam Mai	Pesticide and Veterinary Drug Smuggling; Conspiracy
Southern District of Texas	United States v. Alfredo Vela, et al.	Monkey Smuggling; Conspiracy

Recently Charged

United States v. Juan C. Velderrain Perez

• No. 26-MJ-05136 (Southern District of California)
• AUSA Emily Allen

On September 2, 2026, prosecutors charged Juan Velderrain Perez with smuggling 24 one-liter bottles of Taktic pesticide into the United States (18 U.S.C. § 545).

On August 19, 2026, Velderrain Perez attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with the illegal pesticides concealed in his car. The defendant admitted that he had entered the U.S. with illegal pesticides before.

Taktic contains the active ingredient amitraz at a concentration banned in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency since 2019.

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

Related Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/mexican-man-charged-smuggling-banned-pesticides

United States v. Lonnie S. Gaskins, et al.

• No. 4:26-CR-00769 (District of South Carolina)
• AUSA Elle Klein
• AUSA Holly Brown

On September 3, 2026, the court arraigned Lonnie Shane Gaskins, Terry James Gaskins, Shamar O'Ryan Sutton, Avery Robinson, Derwayne Terry Miller, Sr., and Kevin Knotts on charges of conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act and possessing dogs for use in animal fighting ventures (7 U.S.C. § 2156(b) and 18 U.S.C. § 49(a); 18 U.S.C. § 371). Terry James Gaskins and Miller were also charged with unlawful possession of firearms (18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1), 924(a)(8)).

Between September 2019 and July 2026, the defendants bred, housed, and trained pit bull-type dogs for dog fighting. They used equipment and paraphernalia to train the dogs, including treadmills, bite sticks, and heavy metal chains. They shared images and videos of fighting and injured dogs and exchanged texts discussing the training and fighting of dogs. Between April and July 2026, law enforcement executed five search warrants at the defendants' residences, seizing a total of 100 dogs along with dog fighting paraphernalia.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshal Service conducted the investigation.

Photo of dog filed with government bond pleading

Related Press Release: District of South Carolina | Dog Fighting Investigation Results in Largest Single Property Dog Seizure in South Carolina History, 7 Men Charged | United States Department of Justice

United States v. Taurean Jaquan Servance, et al.

• No. 1:26-CR-00027 (Northern District of Florida)
• AUSA Adam M. Hapner

On September 15, 2026, a court finished arraigning the last of six defendants on the indictment charging them with conspiracy and engaging in an animal fighting venture (18 U.S.C. § 49, 7 U.S.C. § 2156(a)(1)). (The indicted defendants are Taurean Jaquan Servance, Jarrett Abram Servance, Jarrett Abram Servance, Jr., Terry Lajace Lee, Christopher Eugene Thompson, and Clinton Thomas. Trial is scheduled to begin on October 21, 2026.

Between April 2022 and October 2025, the defendants bred, housed, and trained pit bull-type dogs for dog fighting. They used equipment to train the dogs, including treadmills, bite sticks, and heavy metal chains. They also shared images and videos of the dogs, as well as texts discussing training and fighting dogs. Local law enforcement officials seized 42 dogs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Sherriff's Office, and Alachua County Animal Resources conducted the investigation.

Related Press Release: Northern District of Florida | Six Gainesville Men Indicted for Dog Fighting Offenses | United States Department of Justice

Guilty Pleas

United States v. Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation

• No. 2:26-CR-00093 (Southern District of Ohio)
• ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
• AUSA David Twombly
• ECS Paralegal Jillian Grubb

On September 1, 2026, Yenkin Majestic Paint Corporation (Yenkin) pleaded guilty to violating the negligent endangerment provision of the Clean Air Act for an explosion that killed one employee and injured many more (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(4)).

Yenkin manufactured industrial coatings and resin in Columbus, Ohio. The manufacturing process involved heating ingredients in large steel vessels known as "kettles." In 2020, Yenkin fabricated and installed a new door, known as a "manway," on top of Kettle 3. This door allowed access inside the kettle. Yenkin completed installation of the new manway in December 2020.

Despite several high-pressure spikes, Yenkin never pressure tested the new manway before placing Kettle 3 back in service. The door began leaking immediately after installation. Yenkin chose not to take Kettle 3 out of service, opting instead to add a thicker gasket that the company mistakenly thought was made of Teflon, but was actually silicone.

On April 8, 2021, Yenkin employees were producing resin in Kettle 3. The operator did not know that the agitator had stopped, likely due to electrical work Yenkin was conducting at the time. When the operator switched the agitator back on, it caused the contents to vaporize and increase the pressure inside the kettle. Moments later, the manway and gasket could no longer contain the pressure and began releasing a mixture of hot resin liquid and flammable solvent vapor into the plant.

Multiple flammable gas detectors inside the facility started detecting an increase in the concentration of flammable vapors during the release. However, the flammable gas detectors were not configured to sound an audible alarm. At 12:04 a.m., the released flammable vapors found an ignition source and exploded, which led to the death of one employee and severe injuries to several others. The explosion also damaged the resin plant and nearby structures.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, the Ohio Attorney General's Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Special Investigations Unit, conducted the investigation with support from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Related Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/ohio-company-pleads-guilty-worker-death-case-0

United States v. Joseph Nunez, et al.

• No. 24-CR-00066 (District of Colorado)
• AUSA Jennifer Lee Springer
• SAUSA Linda Kato
• SAUSA Eric Nelson

On September 9, 2026, Joseph Nunez pleaded guilty to storing hazardous waste without a permit in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928(d)(2)(A)). Co-defendants Mark Fukuzawa and Doug Watson previously pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Nunez was the owner and operator of EcoGen, Inc., located in Grand Junction, Colorado. Fukuzawa was the vice-president and Watson worked as the operations manager. EcoGen, now defunct, processed hemp plants using acetone, butane, and other solvents to extract cannabidiol (CBD). This process generated many drums of ignitable waste.

Between 2019 and 2020, the defendants illegally stored this waste without a hazardous waste storage permit and without labelling the 55-gallon drums, many of which were rusted and leaking. They abandoned the waste in 2020, forcing the new owners of the facility to properly dispose of more than 100 drums.

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

United States v. Derek Partain, et al.

• No. 4:26-CR-40047 (Southern District of Illinois)
• ECS Senior Trial Attorney Lana Pettus
• AUSA Kevin Burke
• ECS Paralegal Chloe Harris

On September 10, 2026, Derek Partain pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to defraud the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) based on his conduct during and after an underground mine fire in August 2021. Partain was the second shift longwall foreman for M-Class Mining, which operated the MC #1 Mine in Franklin County, Illinois, where the fire occurred. The former manager of the mine, Brandon Parsons, also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to defraud MSHA on August 28, 2025. Parsons' sentencing is set for March 25, 2027, and Partain is scheduled for January 14, 2027.

On August 4, 2026, prosecutors charged four defendants in a nine-count indictment relating to the 2021 fire. Those defendants are Ronald D. Koontz, the former general manager of a company providing oversight and support for M-Class and the mine; former mine Superintendent Demitrios George Macropoulos; former Second Shift Manager Randy L. Nowland; and former Third Shift Manager Cory Taylor Humphrey.

On August 13, 2021, a fire ignited in the MC#1 Mine as personnel used cutting torches to cut collapsed steel beams in the mine that had blocked an entryway to the mining face and stopped the mining equipment from moving. When the fire could not be extinguished within 10 minutes, the approved Mine Emergency Evacuation and Firefighting Plan required the company to evacuate the miners and notify the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The defendants decided not to follow the plan. Instead, they directed that workers continue to mine coal while others engaged in ad hoc firefighting efforts overnight and through the following morning of August 14. MSHA was ultimately alerted to the existence of the fire by an anonymous tip on the morning of August 14.

After confirming the existence of the fire, MSHA issued a safety order evacuating the mine. The safety order further prohibited miners from re-entering the mine without prior notification to and authorization from MSHA. The Agency also began investigating the cause of the fire and the response of M-Class and its employees.

Koontz, Macropoulos, Nowland, and Humphrey are charged with conspiring to defraud MSHA by concealing the fire and other hazards at the mine. The defendants also took steps to interfere with MSHA's investigation of the fire and the Agency's ability to administer safety-related orders in the aftermath of the fire. Those steps include falsifying records, not wearing tracking devices that would track and record their locations within the mine, lying to other miners about the reason for stopping work at the mine, and concealing at least one portable gas detector from MSHA inspectors. The defendants kept the miners working underground for all or portions of three shifts while unsuccessfully fighting the fire.

The defendants are charged with violating a mandatory safety standard under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (the Mine Act) by refusing to timely evacuate the mine and failing to notify MSHA as required. Nowland and Humphrey are charged under the Mine Act with falsifying records required to document mine hazards. Koontz and Macropoulos are charged with obstructing an MSHA proceeding for entering the mine in violation of the MSHA safety order. Koontz is further charged with obstruction for directing another supervisor to delete a record reflecting a telephone call Koontz made to the supervisor after MSHA began its investigation of the fire. (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1505,1519; 30 U.S.C. §§ 820(c),(d)).

The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

United States v. Michael J. Hale

• No. 1:26-CR-00043 (Western District of New York)
• AUSA Aaron Mango

On September 16, 2026, Michael J. Hale pleaded guilty to making a false statement in connection with dumping hazardous waste (18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2)). Sentencing is scheduled for December 22, 2026.

In October 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a tip report about a large quantity of hand sanitizers dumped outside a warehouse. After executing a search warrant in December 2023, EPA investigators determined that the waste consisted of expired hand sanitizer boxes and bottles spread over an area measuring 73 feet long, 24 feet wide, and five feet high. Samples confirmed the sanitizer is an ignitable hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

At the time, Hale worked as the Vice President of Regional Logistics Group, LLC, a warehousing business located at 3800 Highland Avenue. When questioned, Hale denied knowing how the sanitizer appeared behind the building. Investigators already determined that the product had been delivered to the business between January and May of 2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protect Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation conducted the investigation.

Photo of waste behind property included with press release

Related Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/lockport-man-pleads-guilty-lying-about-hazardous-waste-dumped-niagara-falls

Sentencings

United States v. American Distillation, Inc., et al.

• Nos. 7:25-CR-00097, 7:24-CR-00104 (Eastern District of North Carolina)
• AUSA David Berak

On September 4, 2026, a court sentenced American Distillation, Inc. (ADI), to complete a five-year term of probation, after pleading guilty to violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1311, 1319(c)(2)(A)). Company owner Andrew Simmons was sentenced in July 2026 to 10 months' incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release, after pleading guilty to criminal tax violations (26 U.S.C. § 7203). Simmons will also pay $112,193 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

ADI is a chemical processing company located beside the Cape Fear River that blends and markets industrial-grade ethyl alcohol. ADI regularly receives large quantities of tert-Butyl alcohol (TBOH), which it distills into a usable product. TBOH is a highly flammable, colorless, oily liquid with a sharp alcohol odor, and is designated as a pollutant under the CWA. During distillation, ADI created and stored byproducts and wastewater, including TBOH, in a 250,000-gallon storage tank known as "Tank 14." ADI's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit requires the company to properly dispose of TBOH byproduct.

Barry Darnell White worked as a production manager for ADI. His responsibilities included overseeing the transfer of chemicals between tanks as well as monitoring the tanker trucks travelling in and out of ADI's facilities. White reported directly to corporate management. Between 2020 and 2024, White released approximately 2,500 gallons of liquid wastewater from Tank 14, five to six times per year. White connected a hose to Tank 14, which drained into a pipe connected to an outfall flowing directly to the river. White pleaded guilty to violating the CWA and was sentenced in June 2026 to eight months of home confinement as a condition of a two-year term of probation. White also will pay a $5,000 fine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the EPA Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

United States v. Teunis Jan Willemsen

• No. 3:26-mj-08002 (Northern District of Ohio)
• AUSA Matthew Simko

On September 8, 2026, a court sentenced Teunis Jan Willemsen to pay a $25,000 fine, serve 15 months of probation, and perform 100 hours of community service. Willemsen pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act for negligently discharging a pollutant (33 U.S.C. §§ 1311(a), 1319(c)(1)(A)).

Willemsen worked as the manager for Heartland Dairy in Rockland, Ohio. On December 12, 2022, the dairy illegally discharged wastewater into the Little Black Creek, a tributary of Saint Mary's River, causing a significant fish kill. Environmental officials responded and questioned Willemsen.

Willemsen stated he was responsible for employees pumping the contents from the settling basin into a nearby drainage ditch. The discharge, consisting of manure and silage leachate, included concentrated amounts of ammonia. Heartland Dairy did not have a permit to discharge any pollutant. The Ohio Department of Agriculture determined that the discharge killed approximately 789 fish and 1,370 other animals.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the Ohio Department of Agriculture conducted the investigation.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/dairy-manager-sentenced-role-polluting-waterway-waste-caused-fish-kill

United States v. Thao Duong, United States v. Lam Mai

• Nos. 3:25-CR-000511, 00512 (Northern District of Texas)
• ECS Trial Attorney Lauren Steele
• AUSA Vincent J. Mazzurco
• ECS Paralegal Chloe Harris

On September 8, 2026, a court sentenced a wife and husband, Thao Duong and Lam Mai, for operating a website selling veterinary drugs and pesticides smuggled into the United States from Mexico. Duong will serve three months of incarceration, followed by two years of supervised release, and will forfeit more than $1.5 million. Mai was sentenced to complete a two-year term of probation. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy (18 U.S.C. § 371).

In 2011, Duong began using various online platforms to sell animal care products to customers throughout the U.S. The products she sold were used primarily by people engaged in rooster fighting ventures. Duong was not a veterinarian and did not require customers to provide veterinary prescriptions to purchase veterinary drugs. She also sold products such as Cipio Vet, Baytril Max, and Caterrol, which are produced in Mexico and not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. In 2017, she added the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz to her inventory. Neither Taktic nor Bovitraz are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for sale or use and could not be sold legally in the U.S. Amitraz, the active ingredient in Taktic and Bovitraz, is toxic to bees if released into hives, and then ultimately to humans when it ends up in honey, honeycomb, and beeswax.

In 2018, Duong started a website, which she used as her primary means of selling and distributing veterinary drugs and pesticides. After launching the site, Duong entered into agreements with several co-conspirators to purchase veterinary drugs and pesticides that she knew had been smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico.

The smuggled pesticides and veterinary drugs came into this country through the Calexico Port of Entry in Imperial County, California, and were placed in storage units near the border. Duong's co-conspirators then shipped the products from California to Texas. Between 2018 and 2022, Duong obtained approximately $2.4 million worth of smuggled merchandise from her co-conspirators.

Mai worked as the shipping manager for the website. After orders were received, he packaged the pesticides and veterinary drugs and distributed them to customers throughout the country using the U.S. Postal Service and other shippers.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Press Release: Office of Public Affairs | Texas Couple Sentenced for Operating Website Selling Smuggled Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs | United States Department of Justice

United States v. Mikhail Tsurikov, et al.

• Nos. 2:26-CR-00194, 00403 (Eastern District of Pennsylvania)
• ECS Trial Attorney Lauren Steele
• AUSA Angella Middleton
• ECS Paralegal Chloe Harris

On September 10, 2026, a court sentenced Mikhail Tsurikov to complete a three-year term of probation. Tsurikov pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a)).

Tsurikov worked as the second engineer for the M/V MSC Samira III. On January 27, 2025, he caused the master of the vessel to present a false Oil Record Book (ORB) to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors during a Port State Control Examination in the Port of Philadelphia. The ORB did not contain entries for oily bilge water discharges the crew made without using a properly functioning Oil Water Separator.

On August 28, 2026, MSC Shipmanagement Limited (MSC) and Hong Kong Spirit Shipping and Trading Limited pleaded guilty and were sentenced to pay a combined fine of $1.75 million and complete four-year terms of probation.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay and U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service conducted the investigation.

United States v. Leshon E. Johnson

• No. 6:25-CR-00012 (Eastern District of Oklahoma)
• ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
• AUSA Jordan Howanitz
• ECS Paralegal Jillian Grubb
• ECS Law Clerk Amanda Backer

On September 10, 2026, a court sentenced Leshon E. Johnson to serve 60 months' incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release, and pay a $30,000 fine. A jury convicted Johnson in August 2025 on three counts of possession of a dog for use in an animal fighting venture and three counts of sale of a dog for use in an animal fighting venture (7 U.S.C. § 2156(b), 18 U.S.C. §§ 49, 2).

Johnson ran a dog fighting operation known as "Mal Kant Kennels" in both Broken Arrow and Haskell, Oklahoma. He possessed 190 pit bull-type dogs that were seized by federal authorities in October 2024. This is believed to be the largest number of dogs ever seized from a single person in a federal dog fighting case. He previously ran "Krazyside Kennels," also in Oklahoma, which led to his conviction on state animal fighting charges in 2004. Johnson bred "champion" and "grand champion" fighting dogs (dogs that have won three or five fights, respectively) to produce offspring with desirable fighting traits and abilities. Johnson marketed and sold stud rights and offspring from winning fighting dogs to other dog fighters looking to incorporate the Mal Kant Kennels "bloodline" into their own dog fighting operations.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

Related Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-nfl-player-sentenced-5-years-prison-operating-large-scale-dog-fighting-and

United States v. Carl Fioravanti

• No. 1:23-CR-00555 (Northern District of Illinois)
• AUSA Tim Chapman
• SAUSA Samuel Cardick

On September 10, 2026, a court sentenced Carl Fioravanti to 80 months of incarceration, followed by two years of supervised release. Fioravanti pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return for leaving asbestos at a suburban Chicago demolition site after accepting full payment for the purported remediation (18 U.S.C. § 1343; 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1)).

Fioravanti is the president of Alliance Environmental Control, Inc. (Alliance) a company that performs asbestos removal services. In 2023, a property owner hired Alliance to remove regulated asbestos-containing materials (RACM) before a planned demolition of a largely abandoned medical campus in Waukegan, Illinois. The site owner agreed to pay Alliance nearly $1.8 million to properly remove the RACM. During the remediation, Fioravanti fabricated air-sampling clearance reports that fraudulently stated that the site had been scientifically tested and was clear of asbestos. Two months after Fioravanti certified the project as fully remediated, the property owner learned that Alliance had left significant amounts of RACM throughout the site. To date, the site owner has spent more than $26 million to clean up the property.

Fioravanti also defrauded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the State of Illinois of more than $2.7 million in combined tax revenues. He caused a tax preparer to file false individual and corporate income tax returns that greatly understated the amount of income Alliance and Fioravanti had earned for the years 2013 through 2022.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Press Release:Northern District of Illinois | President of Environmental Company Sentenced to More Than Six and a Half Years in Prison for Leaving Asbestos at Suburban Chicago Demolition Site | United States Department of Justice

United States v. Caleb Warren Randall, et al.

• No. 3:25-CR-00196 (Middle District of Tennessee)
• ECS Trial Attorney Rachel Roberts
• AUSA Ahmed A. Safeeullah
• ECS Paralegal Chloe Harris

On September 11, 2026, a court sentenced Caleb Warren Randall to complete a two-year term of probation. Randall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (18 U.S.C. § 371); Co-defendant David Ray Stark pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act for bypassing treatment processes and tampering with a monitoring device at the facility (18 U.S.C. § 371). Stark is set for sentencing on December 6, 2026.

Randall and Stark managed a Nashville waste treatment facility. Stark worked as the facility operations manager and Randall was the plant supervisor at a facility operated by Allwaste Onsite, doing business as Onsite Environmental (Onsite). As part of the conspiracy, Stark and Randall directed Onsite employees to discharge untreated and partially treated wastewater into the Nashville sewer system in December 2022 and January 2023. Stark and Randall also tampered with and caused Onsite employees to tamper with a sampling device that the Nashville Metro Water Services (MWS) had installed to monitor Onsite's compliance with its pretreatment permit.

In December 2025, Onsite was sentenced to pay a $512,000 fine, representing $16,000 per day of bypassing, and complete a three-year term of probation. As a special condition of probation, Onsite must comply with a consent order previously issued by a state court, which Onsite entered into with MWS to enact a facility operating plan. Additionally, as part of the consent order, Onsite paid $86,628 to MWS for expenses related to sewer repairs and clean-up, $299,576 for surcharges related to pollutant exceedances, and $50,387 for water and sewer charges. The company will also implement several plant and equipment upgrades.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and EPA Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

United States v. Alfredo Vela, et al.

• No. 5:25-CR-01100 (Southern District of Texas)
• AUSA Michael T. Poyfair

On September 11, 2026, a court sentenced Alfredo Vela to serve 18 months' incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release and perform 40 hours of community service. Vela pleaded guilty to conspiracy and smuggling (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 545).

Co-defendant Janely Aylin Vela pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for attempting to illegally import two Capuchin monkeys into the United States (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(2), 3373(d)(1)(A)).

On June 9, 2025, a county deputy stopped Janely Vela's car on an interstate in La Salle County, Texas. During the traffic stop, the deputy noted a covered item in the rear seat. When he asked what was in the back, she answered "her monkeys." Further investigation determined that the monkeys were Capuchin monkeys and that Janely Vela did not have the proper licenses to possess them.

Upon further questioning, Janely Vela admitted she planned to smuggle the two monkeys for Alfredo Vela, her co-conspirator. She took the animals from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and would have earned $500 to transport them to San Antonio, Texas.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

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