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Minnesota Metal Finisher Sentenced in Sewer Line Case

Release Date: 04/27/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Stacie Findon-Keller, 202-564-7338 / keller.stacie@epa.gov

(04/27/05) Kenneth Heroux, owner of Hardcoat Inc., in St. Louis Park, Minn., was sentenced to pay a $20,000 fine, serve three years' probation and perform 225 hours of community service on April 14 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He was convicted in November 2004 on two counts of making false statements to officials from the U.S. EPA and Hennepin County. The defendant falsely told state and federal investigators that a sewer pipe used to discharge pre-treated industrial wastes from the Hardcoat facility did not show any problems with leakage. In reality, the pipe had several breaks through which pre-treated industrial wastes could have leaked. The defendant replaced the pipe, but he knowingly made a false statement to officials about the fact that the pipe had been compromised. Sewage pipes that have breaks create a potential source for groundwater pollution. The case was investigated by the Minneapolis Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and the Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services. It was prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis.