SCRANTON—Bruce Evans, Jr., age 41, of Greenfield Township, Pennsylvania has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for violating the Clean Water Act and submitting a false statement to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
The conviction stems from a trial that began on November 15, 2021, and ended on December 17, 2021. Evans, Jr. was convicted of four counts of Clean Water Act violations and one count of submitting a false statement to the PADEP. He was tried alongside his father, Bruce Evans, Sr.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Evans, Jr. knowingly failed to operate and maintain the municipality’s wastewater treatment plant in accordance with regulations and limitations specified in a permit issued by the PADEP to the Greenfield Township Sewer Authority (GTSA). The permit required that the permittee maintain the plant in good working order, properly operate and maintain all facilities and systems installed and used by the permittee to achieve compliance with the terms and conditions of the permit, and meet specific numerical limits on pollutants discharged into a local waterway.
As a result of Evans, Jr.’s failures, pollutants were discharged in violation of the permit on multiple occasions. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the EPA presented testimony from 34 witnesses over the course of the trial. Witnesses included GTSA board members, Greenfield Township Supervisors, FBI and EPA Special Agents, multiple PADEP inspectors and supervisors, and residents who lived near sewage system lift stations where sewage overflowed.
Evans, Jr. is an employee of Greenfield Township and the GTSA. His father, Bruce Evans, Sr., is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of twenty counts of Clean Water Act violations, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of obstruction of certified mail.
The investigation was jointly conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Criminal Investigations Division in Philadelphia, Pa., the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Scranton Field Office, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Northeast Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Olshefski and EPA Attorneys W. Martin Harrell and Patricia C. Miller prosecuted the case as Special Assistant United States Attorneys.
Related Federal Cases
- No Defendant Found, Community Reinvestment Act Violations, Portland… · New Mexico
- Bruce Choi, COVID-19 Relief Fraud, Los Angeles CA, 2023 · Alabama
- Nicole Hilstolsky Sentenced for Embezzlement, Pennsylvania, 2018 · Pennsylvania
- Emily Wilson, Investment Adviser Fraud, Pennsylvania, 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Nicole Hilstolsky, Embezzlement, Pennsylvania, 2018 · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News