Brian Brundage Arrested in $10M E-Waste Fraud Scheme

Brian Brundage, 45, of Dyer, Ind., was arrested this morning in Chicago on federal charges tied to a multi-million dollar e-waste fraud scheme that spanned over a decade. The former owner of Intercon Solutions Inc. and current owner of EnviroGreen Processing LLC is accused of systematically deceiving clients while illegally landfilling, stockpiling, and reselling hazardous electronic waste — all while claiming the materials were being recycled responsibly.

According to a federal indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court, Brundage orchestrated a massive fraud operation in which thousands of tons of electronic waste, including lead-laden cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and toxic batteries, were sold to vendors known to export them overseas. Despite contractual promises to clients that no materials would be landfilled, incinerated, or exported, Brundage allegedly facilitated exactly that — breaching environmental safeguards and federal regulations meant to protect public health.

The indictment charges Brundage with five counts of income tax evasion, four counts of mail fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors allege he used Intercon funds to pay personal expenses, including wages for his nanny and gambling expenditures at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., while failing to report hundreds of thousands in taxable income. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division says the tax loss exceeds tens of thousands of dollars.

Brundage’s scheme began unraveling publicly in 2011 when Intercon was accused of shipping hazardous waste to Hong Kong. Rather than come clean, he allegedly launched a cover-up: destroying shipping records, falsifying documentation, and concealing further overseas shipments. The indictment states the fraud continued for five more years, with Brundage maintaining a facade of compliance while profiting from the illegal trade of toxic materials.

Authorities are seeking the forfeiture of $10 million in cash tied to the operation. Multiple agencies collaborated on the investigation, including the EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General. Zachary T. Fardon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, called the alleged actions ‘an environmental and financial betrayal of public trust.’

Brundage is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. David Weisman at 3:00 p.m. today in Chicago. If convicted, he faces decades in federal prison and the complete dismantling of his recycling enterprises, once marketed as leaders in green technology — now exposed, prosecutors say, as fronts for profit-driven environmental crime.