MINNEAPOLIS, MN – A Minnesota metal finishing company and its top executives were brought to justice nearly fifteen years ago for a deliberate and sustained pattern of environmental crimes, according to federal court records unsealed by GrimyTimes. Eco Finishing Co., along with its CEO and President, David Rosenblum, and Plant Manager Martin Meister, systematically violated the Clean Water Act, falsified data, and conspired to deceive regulators in a scheme to avoid environmental compliance.
The investigation, which began in 2006, revealed that Eco Finishing routinely exceeded permitted limits for metals and cyanide in its wastewater discharge to the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) sewer system. Internal monitoring documented these violations, but company leadership actively suppressed the information, failing to report the exceedances as required by law. Even more damning, evidence showed the company deliberately manipulated its production and wastewater treatment processes specifically *during* regulatory inspections, creating a false impression of compliance. Once inspectors departed, normal, polluting operations resumed.
The scheme involved a calculated effort to alter practices when MCES personnel were on-site, temporarily reducing pollutant discharge to meet permit requirements. This deception was designed to mask the true extent of the contamination originating from the facility. Meister, as Plant Manager, was instrumental in carrying out these deceptive practices, while Rosenblum directed and knowingly benefitted from the illegal activity. The company’s internal summaries clearly indicated the consistent discharge of pollutants at levels far exceeding legally permissible limits.
On May 30, 2006, Eco Finishing was initially charged with a single count of violating the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(2)(A)). The company subsequently pled guilty on February 15, 2007, and received 36 months of probation, a $225,000 federal fine, and was ordered to pay $25,000 in extraordinary restitution to the Federal Transport Program. However, the criminal liability extended far beyond the corporate entity.
On August 22, 2007, Rosenblum and Meister were charged with a litany of offenses including discharging pollutants in violation of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1311(a)), failing to submit required analytical results, failing to report violations, and conspiracy (18 U.S.C. 371). Rosenblum also faced a charge of tampering with government monitoring efforts. A jury convicted Rosenblum on March 27, 2008, on one count of felony conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts of felony Clean Water Act violations (33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(4), 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A)), and ten counts of negligent violation of the Clean Water Act. Meister was convicted of eight counts of negligent violations of the Clean Water Act. Rosenblum received a 15-month prison sentence, 200 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution to the Mississippi River Fund. Meister received 24 months probation, 150 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $2,501 in restitution to the same fund.
Key Facts
- Defendant: Eco Finishing Co., David Rosenblum, Martin Meister
- Crime: Clean Water Act violations, conspiracy, fraud
- Location: Minnesota
- Year: 2009 (convictions finalized)
- Statutes Violated: 33 U.S.C. 1311(a), 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(4), 33 U.S.C. 1319(c)(1)(A), 18 U.S.C. 371
- Penalties: Corporate fine of $225,000, restitution of $25,000 + $250,000, 15 months imprisonment for Rosenblum, 24 months probation for Meister, community service.
- Method: Deliberate manipulation of wastewater treatment during inspections, falsification of data, and failure to report violations.
GrimyTimes will continue to follow environmental crime cases and provide updates as they develop.
Source: EPA ECHO Enforcement Case Database
Related Federal Cases
- Continental Engineering Manufacturing, Pollution, MN 2004 · Minnesota
- FDIC Assembles New Banking Watchdogs, Washington D.C., 2023 · New York
- Ticketmaster, Antitrust Violation, New York NY, 2023 · Nevada
- Ashland Oil, Environmental Crime, MN 2003 · New York
- John Doe, Child Exploitation, Springfield USA, 2024 · Ohio
