Newsroom
All News Releases By Date
MONTANA MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CLEAN WATER ACT, MONEY LAUNDERING AND FRAUD VIOLATIONS
Release Date: 03/26/2001
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2001
MONTANA MAN ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CLEAN WATER ACT, MONEY LAUNDERING AND FRAUD VIOLATIONS
Luke C. Hester 202-564-7818/hester.luke@epa.gov
David A. Phillips was arrested on March 13 in Missoula Montana. He was charged on March 9 in a 27 count indictment for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act and for fraud and money laundering. The indictment charges that Phillips was the owner and operator of Mountain Valley Ranch near Phillipsburg, MT, and that he was responsible for the unpermitted discharged of pollutants into Fred Burr Creek and for the destruction of wetlands immediately adjacent to the creek. Phillips allegedly directed construction and development activities at the wetlands, including the excavation of several ponds, ditches, trenches and drains and the discharge of dredge and fill materials into wetlands without a permit. Wetlands are important habitat for migratory birds, they are important habitat and breeding grounds for aquatic species and they serve a vital environmental function by removing pollutants from surface waters. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Internal Revenue Service with the assistance of EPA’s National Enforcement Investigations Center. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Missoula. An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in a court of law.
R-45 ###
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.
