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New York Industrial Park Owner Pleads Guilty to Illegal Asbestos Removal

Release Date: 07/14/2004
Contact Information:

Christopher Lagan 202-564-7338 / lagan.christopher@epa.gov

(07/14/04) Arthur Hilton of Castelton, N.Y., owner of the Hilton Industrial Park in Rensselaer, N.Y., has pled guilty to violating the Clean Air Act. Hilton admitted to hiring workers to illegally handle asbestos from buildings which he owned at his industrial park. The defendant admitted that the workers illegally disposed of the asbestos by dumping it at various locations near the New York State/Massachusetts border. Illegal dumping of asbestos can cause asbestos fibers to become airborne, and inhaling asbestos fibers is a known cause of lung cancer, a lung disease known as “asbestosis,” and mesothelioma which is a cancer of the chest and abdominal cavities. At sentencing, Hilton faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The plea was entered on June 30 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in Syracuse. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division office in Syracuse, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of Labor’s Asbestos Control Bureau. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Syracuse.