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PA ABANDONED HAZ. WASTES LEADS TO FELONY INDICTMENT

Release Date: 06/14/96
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PA ABANDONED HAZ. WASTES LEADS TO FELONY INDICTMENT

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1996

ABANDONED HAZARDOUS WASTES LEADS TO FELONY INDICTMENT OF NEW HAVEN METAL PLATER

Thomas Kassery, owner of Plating Center, a defunct Bridgeport, Conn. metal plating company, has been named in a one count felony indictment for violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Kassery abandoned his plating shop in 1993 leaving behind large quantities of hazardous wastes, much of which was in open containers and in plating and stripping baths. The abandoned wastes included cyanides, acids and other hazardous wastes. The shop was located in a mixed industrial/residential neighborhood with residences located as close as 30 yards from the facility. The facility was discovered by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 1995. Further investigation revealed that Kassery allegedly knew that the facility was unsecured and was aware of the dangers which the abandoned wastes and chemicals posed to intruders who had entered the building. Starting in July 1995, a three-month EPA emergency removal action was taken at the site to protect the residents of the neighborhood. Kassery faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 for each day of the violation. The case was investigated by the EPA Criminal Investigation Division and the Connecticut DEP with assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Haven, Conn.

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